Love Accidentally
by letyourdorkout
Summary: AU Fic. Every time Naomi and Emily meets, non-stop bickering happens. With Naomi's bitchiness and Emily's witty remarks, will there be any space for love?
1. The longest flight

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 1

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, except a pack of cookies I was eating when I wrote this.

**Summary: **AU Fic. Naomi Campbell was a model turned actress whose name had been dragged along numerous issues and scandals, bringing her career down the drain. With a sudden twist of faith, she stumbles upon Emily Fitch, an aspiring writer with a bubbly personality. Certain things had happened then on, that they found themselves living in the same house, yet, hating each other's guts. Will there be any space for love at all?

**A/N: **My 2nd AU fic. This fic was based from a series I really loved, but I'm planning on taking it to a different direction than the series. :) Hope you all like this one. First few chaps maybe boring, but I promise it would get better as it goes on. I'll try my best :D

Emily blew out a tired breath as she sprang up to her feet, stretching her back which was badly aching from scrubbing the marbled floor for quite a few hours. She roamed her eyes around, a proud contented smile pulling in her lips as her eyes fell on the gleaming windows and dustless walls of the enormous house, which she had spent almost half of the day cleaning. She burst into a fit of soundless giggles, a feeling of fulfillment settling in her at once, seeing that she had managed to clean the house all by herself, finishing earlier than she had done before, even without the help of her twin sister. A sad sigh then filled in after the giggles, her thoughts falling on her just divorced parents, both her mother and father whom have left Bristol, leaving her and her twin alone in this house. She breathed another sigh in, turning to face the window, her gaze falling on the calm, blue beach outside which somehow brightened her sudden sad thoughts. She was pretty glad that her grandfather built the house near the beach, for at least the view lightens her mood up in some ways, especially when she was being reminded of her loneliness, a result of her twin's abrupt moving in with her boyfriend and her younger brother's migration with her mum. Feeling a tear trickling down on her cheek, she shook her head and blew out her breath, stretching her arms out wide before picking up her cleaning tools as she prepared herself to work.

She was an aspiring writer, who'd been trying so hard to find a publicist who could edit and publish her work. She was currently in the middle of writing her first novel ever and she was in desperate need of somebody to review her work. She remembered asking her twin once, to read what she had written so far and all Katie did was laugh as she read on, which was utterly absurd for her, because what she wrote was supposed to be of action and adventure in content. She ended up getting pissed off at her sister instead, for calling her precious work of art scrap and rubbish. From then on, she had never allowed Katie to have even a little glimpse of her work and she made sure that she'd be writing whenever Katie's not around, because her twin's loud and obnoxious remarks made her lose her concentration as well.

Yet, now being all alone in their ancestral house, she somehow misses the sound of her sister's voice, her loudness, bitchiness and all. She leaned her back against the comfy chair and stared on the window by her side, her thoughts once again falling on her family and how much she missed them. The sound of the door bell interrupted her reverie.

"Emily!"

She hurriedly opened the door, her expectant smile falling into a lopsided frown at the sight of her sister's boyfriend, standing by the door and gleefully greeting her. Ignoring the boy, she turned to her sister and launched herself towards her.

"Katie!" She shouted, pulling her twin into a tight embrace.

"Hey, what about me? I greeted you first yeah?"

"Shut up, Cook." She hissed, not letting go of her twin. "I was just thinking about you." She smiled as she pulled away.

"Missing me already eh?" Katie bantered, giving Emily a soft nudge.

"You wish." Emily answered. "I needed some help with cleaning the house."

"Bitch."

Emily stuck her tongue out, making Katie stick hers out too in return.

"Are you two done?" Cook interrupted. "Can we get in now?"

"Prick." Emily muttered under her breath, ignoring the glare her twin had thrown. She had no intention of hiding her revulsion against Cook, even if he was Katie's boyfriend. Stepping aside, she let the two new comers in and settled on the couch. She sat opposite the couple, waiting for any of them to speak. She watched as Katie elbowed Cook on the rib, both of them exchanging worried and bashful glances with each other.

Rolling her eyes, she decided to break the silence. "If it's money you want, I clearly don't have any."

"Erm, Em-"

"You know that mum and dad are sending us no more. And I only have a few left in my savings. It will only do until I could find some work." She broke Katie off.

"No, no, Emily." It was Cook who caught her attention. "Listen, the company that I work for-"

"You work?" Emily asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, problem?" Cook replied. "Right, we had a promo and your name had been drawn from the coupons."

"Hang on. How the fuck did that happen?" Emily's forehead turned into a crease. "I can't remember joining anything. I didn't even know you had a job."

"It's uhm, it's-"

"I signed up for you." Katie saved.

Emily watched as Cook waved an airplane ticket in front of her, her nose crinkling with annoyance and disgust. "What's that?"

"First class tickets to Paris!" Cook exclaimed.

"Why sign my name Katie? You're the one who wants to fucking go in Paris."

"Uhm, because, I think you need some vacation." Katie stammered, finding the perfect excuse. "Yeah, you definitely need some vacation. You know, after what happened with mum and dad, and all those shit."

"It's gonna be fun Emily, trust me." Cook added.

Emily's eyes turned into a squint as she eyed Cook with a disgusted glare. "You're asking for something just impossible."

"What? Go to Paris?"

"No. Trust you." She hissed, hearing a muffled laugh barely escaping Katie's lips at the sight of Cook's pissed off face.

"Right." He continued, ignoring Emily's remarks. "This ticket is entitled to a first class trip to Paris Emily. Don't just go fucking waste it."

"Is this ticket real?"

"'Course it is." Cook retorted. "Why won't it be?"

"I'm just making sure. I don't trust that stupid grin plastered on your face one bit." Emily spat back. "I could totally imagine that as the devil's grin."

"You're hurting my feelings."

"Oh you have feelings?" The younger twin snorted. "I thought a devil's spawn wasn't meant to have feelings?"

"Emily!" Katie shouted, mediating between them. "Stop it yeah?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"So are you going to take the ticket or not?" Cook grimly asked.

"Come on Em. It's Paris. You don't get chances like this every day." Katie added.

"But I can't leave Katie! Who's going to take care of the house?" Emily replied. "And I still have to finish my novel. I haven't been able to work on it. I'm having writer's block at the moment."

"Which is why this vacation is perfect for you!" Katie answered ecstatically. "It's just for a few days, and don't fucking stress over the house, I've got it covered."

Emily fell into silence as she tried to consider Katie's offer. Surely a few days spent in Paris wouldn't hurt. As much as she hated to admit it, Katie was right. She did need some time off to help her forget about certain things, aside from the fact that a vacation would greatly help with her current writer's block.

She snapped her head up and faced the couple. "I'm not going to pay for anything yeah?"

Katie and Cook exchanged excited glances before turning to Emily. "All expenses paid." They both answered, bringing a warm smile on Emily's lips.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"This has been the umpteenth time your name has been dragged into scandals."

Naomi rolled her eyes as she slumped on the swivel chair. "It's not my fault that there are two Naomi Campbells in modeling history Thomas." She retorted, a bored look appearing on her face as she eyed her manager.

"You know what I mean Naomi." Thomas replied exasperatedly. "You yourself had been involved in numerous issues."

"Which none of are even true."

"True or not, these issues would still have a huge effect on your career." He said, throwing the newspaper he was holding on top of the table for the blonde model to see. "You're a top model and an actress Naomi, don't even forget that."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "Are we done?"

"I'm sending you to Paris this week."

"What?" She cried in surprise. "Why?"

"I would need to do some damage control here. And you'll need to go attend some interviews on Paris." Thomas replied, his face serious.

Naomi blew out an aggravated breath. "Fine. Like I even have a choice." She stood up and darted to the door, swinging the conference room doors open.

"Bonkers! Paris this week!"

"It's not even exciting Panda." She replied nonchalantly as she stepped in on her own car, brought by the hotel valet. She waited until her personal assistant, Pandora, had gotten in, before flooring her metallic azure Ferrari California down the road.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"Em, take care there and have fun yeah?"

Emily pressed her lips in a tight line, nodding towards Katie as she pulled away from her embrace. "Take care of the house. I swear if anything happens to it, you're not gonna like it."

"I promise." Katie answered, raising her right hand to prove her point, before pulling the younger twin for another tight hug.

"What's with you today? You're suddenly so sweet." Emily bantered. "You look like you're up to something bad and you don't want me to find out about it."

Katie could feel her face turning pale, the colors escaping her cheeks. "What makes you think that?" She muttered. "Of course I'm not onto something."

"I'm kidding." Emily snorted. "Relax yeah?"

"Just check in already!" Katie glowered.

"Alright, alright. Keep your knickers on."

"Have fun Emily." Cook spoke, stretching his hands wide, ready to envelope the younger twin into a hug.

The sight of him made Emily cringe with revulsion. "Uhm, right thanks." She muttered. "There'll be no need for hugs." She added, feigning a smile. Cook's grin turned into a lopsided frown as he brought his hands to his head instead.

With one last exchange of goodbyes, Emily dragged her suitcase along and checked in, boarding the plane after a few minutes of waiting at the terminal. As she set foot on the first class plane, her eyes grew wide with amusement and surprise at the elegance of it, the white upholstery covering the seats glistening in her eyes. She burst into a fit of giggles as she was ushered into her own seat, marveling at the spaciousness of each of them. She squirmed in her seat, giggling at the comfy feeling the seat was offering, and slumped down right after she felt that she had had enough of her crazy chuckling. She took one deep breath, savoring the feeling of being in a first class plane, a wide smile shaping in her lips. Her eyes fell on the magazine pouch in front of her and reached for the brand new newspaper, reading the headlines that were screaming in bold letters.

Naomi Campbell Strikes Again.

She read the title out loud, bringing the newspaper down as soon as she felt somebody occupying the seat next to her, her mouth hanging wide open upon realizing who the occupant was.

"Y-you're Naomi Campbell right?" She stuttered, pointing at the newspaper she was holding, her voice huskier than ever because of surprise and disbelief.

The blonde model turned her head around at the sound of her name, rolling her eyes and offering Emily a feigned smile.

"You're her! You're her!" Emily cried out, bursting into another fit of giggles. "Can I take your picture?"

Naomi blew out an annoyed breath, eyeing the red head with an uninterested look. She snorted at the sight of the red head's eager face, her cute and tiny nose crinkling with excitement. She rolled her eyes and stared at the other girl, who didn't look like she was taking the hint she was dropping. She watched as the red head rummaged into her bag, looking for her camera. This was going to be a long flight.


	2. The setup

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 2

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **The first Naomily meeting. :D

**A/N: **Might be a boring chap for you guys, because not that much Naomily interaction, but the coming chapters would be full of them. I promise. Thanks for reading and please review on your way out, if you can.

Naomi slumped back to her own seat, leaning her head against the head rest as she completely ignored the red haired girl's request of taking a picture of her. She gently shut her eyes, shuffling on her place to make herself more comfortable as she waited for the plane to take off, when a sudden flash of light pulled her out of the comfy little bubble she had just conjured for herself.

"What the-" She bolted from her seat, facing the direction where the offending light came from. "Jesus!" She exasperated, cursing under her breath, throwing an annoyed glare at the giggling red head who was scrolling down on the digital camera she was holding. "Could you please not do that?" She spoke, the words rolling out of her tongue probably too harsh, but then, like she cared.

The other girl's head snapped up, eyeing Naomi with a confused look. "Do what?" The red head asked back. "You mean giggle?"

The blonde model rolled her eyes. Seriously, was this girl that oblivious? "I meant the picture taking thing." She retorted. "If I remember it right, I never said that you can take my picture." She added, voice full of sarcasm.

"Oh, right. Sorry." The red head softly mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed for her actions. "I thought when you rested on your seat, you were sort of, you know, posing for the camera."

Naomi snorted in disbelief. "Who in their right mind would pose like that? With their eyes even closed?"

"I don't know, you tell me." The red head replied casually. "Models do weird poses all the time."

A hand flew to the blonde's temple, her fingers rubbing the smooth skin as an attempt to calm herself down. She was starting to get pretty annoyed and she knew losing her temper would result into something she would never want to happen. "Whatever." She muttered, rolling her eyes away from the red head and shuffling back to her once comfortable position, just in time for the pilot to announce that the plane would be taxiing. Naomi closed her eyes again, basking on the feeling settling in her stomach as the plane gathered its speed. It's the lift offs that she loved the most.

"Christ it's going too fast!" She heard the red head next to her cry out, the girl's hand attempting to grip the seat handle, but got hold of her wrist instead. "It's too fast!" The red head cried once again, tugging on Naomi's hand for support.

"What the fuck?" The blonde blurted out, struggling away from the other girl's grip, both their hands flailing in the air as they battled for control. "Let go!" She shouted as she pulled her hand back. "Jesus Christ!" She watched as the red head free her hand when the plane had finally gained its altitude, the other girl's own clutching her chest. "Thank you." She retorted sarcastically as soon as she got her hand back, massaging her own wrist that were slightly throbbing from the girl's tight hold.

The red head averted her gaze from Naomi, her cheeks tainting red as the embarrassment surged within her. "Sorry." She barely whispered.

"First time to ride a plane ever?" The blonde model dissed, scoffing a little as the red head softly shook her head. Deciding to drop it off, she shuffled to her seat for the third time since she'd stepped on the plane, closing her eyes once again, half thankful when she was no longer bothered by the red head, the light buzz coming from the engines lulling her to sleep.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi woke just in time for lunch, her food being delivered to her as she shifted in her seat. She threw a glance on the girl next to her, watching her at the corner of her eye. The red head seemed to be more careful now, her head hanging low, probably still because of the embarrassing incident that had happened earlier. An incognizant triumphant smile pulled in Naomi's lips. She loved being in control of everything.

"Sorry about earlier." She heard a soft mumble, coming from the red head. Shrugging her shoulders, she offered a feigned smile, something she always did when things are uninteresting for her and she didn't want to be called rude.

"I'm Emily by the way." Another forced smile to the red head then she went back to busying herself with her own food.

"Are you gonna eat that?" Naomi unwillingly tore her gaze from her food and looked at the other girl, watching Emily as she pointed to a plate of spare ribs placed in her tray.

"Do you want us to exchange?" Emily innocently asked, offering her plate of broiled chicken, still oblivious to the fact that she was getting on Naomi's nerves.

Naomi blew out an exasperated breath as she tried to calm herself down, reminding herself that she was on a first class plane with a lot of people around so she can't bitch about anything, reminding that keeping her cool most of the time was what distinguished her from the other Naomi Campbell, yes, that one. She picked up the plate and handed it to Emily without looking at the red head.

"You don't want to exchange with mine?"

"No. Keep it." She replied with a cold tone, shushing the red head up. Finally.

Lunch passed by quickly and Naomi was pretty thankful that Emily did not bother her again, though she was pretty sure the pestering would come right after. She was also surprised that the girl had managed to consume all the food. For a small girl, she had a big appetite. She was just about to lean back against her seat when she heard Emily speaking, again, to her utter dislike and annoyance.

"Are you heading for Paris too?"

"Yes." She muttered between clenched teeth.

"Oh cool! I'm going there too!" Emily exclaimed, matching her giggle with a clap of her hands. "It's my first time to go there actually."

"Good for you then." She replied nonchalantly.

"Where are you staying?"

"Hotel Le Bristol."

"That's where I'm staying too!" The red head cried out. "Cool huh?"

"Yeah, whatever." Naomi blurted out. "Can I sleep now please?"

"Oh yeah right. I'm sorry for being such a bugger and-" Emily wasn't able to finish what she was about to say when she felt the plane moving unsteadily, making her extremely dizzy. She felt the sudden rise of bile on her throat, heaving the contents of her stomach and abruptly throwing them out to Naomi's black jacket accidentally, her eyes growing wide in shock the moment she realized what happened, seeing the sick soaking the blonde model's jacket. "Oops." She managed to slip out, biting her lip as her gaze lifted on Naomi's face, her eyes squinting a tad bit as to prepare herself for the moment Naomi would throw a fit.

"Fucking. Hell." Naomi huffed under her breath, punctuating each word with the gritting of her teeth and flaring of her nostrils. Wasting no moment, she angrily sprang up to her feet and dashed to the plane's lavatory room, leaving a flushed Emily and her words of apology stuffed in her lips.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily patiently waited for a chance to apologize to Naomi, but didn't get to, for the blonde model had occupied another vacant seat, somewhere far from her. She nervously fidgeted with her fingers as she waited for the plane to land, preparing herself to catch up with Naomi as soon as they were allowed to get off of the plane. She hurriedly gathered her things when the flight stewardess finally announced that they could take their seat belts off, sprinting quickly as she made her way out. She jostled among the other passengers, but the more she pushed forward, the more she bounced back to her place instead. She tried pushing a few more times but failed. She then glanced at the window, her hopes falling once she had seen Naomi's figure disappearing from her eyes. Her shoulders slumped down, feeling strangely guilty and more embarrassed for what she had done. As the plane ran almost empty, she made her way, her eyes falling on that familiar jacket left on one of the seats. Without hesitation, she grabbed the jacket and darted towards the door, still hoping to somehow catch a glimpse of the blonde and be able to formally apologize. Yet, she was almost out of the airport, but she still hadn't seen any sign of Naomi. She then decided to give up for the moment, hailing a cab instead, stepping inside, defeated.

Emily arrived at the grand hotel earlier than expected, her eyes growing wide at the sight of probably the most elegant hotel she had ever seen, feeling a sense of smugness welling up in her, that even for a few days she could get to live like movie stars do. She fumbled in her bag, looking up for her camera. She took a few pictures of the graceful façade, and a few more with her in it, before deciding to finally enter the hotel and find her room. She shyly approached the counter, knowing that she didn't speak French, at all.

"Bonjour." The receptionist greeted. "Est-ce que je peux vous aider?"

"Uhm, yeah, erm-" Emily stuttered as she gnawed on her bottom lip, trying to think what the receptionist was blabbing about.

"I believe she's asking how she could help you."

The red head snapped her gaze up, her eyes meeting a young, nice looking man with an inviting smile in his face. "Oh right." She answered, offering a friendly smile in return. "I-I don't speak French."

The young man gave another smile before turning to the receptionist. "Anglais, s'il vous plait." The receptionist nodded and faced Emily. "Do you have a reservation?" She asked, her thick French accent gracing her voice.

"Yes." Emily answered.

"Name please?"

"Emily Fitch." She replied, watching the receptionist as she typed in the computer. "Thanks for the help." She turned her head, facing the young man.

"You're more than welcome." The man answered with another beaming smile, before excusing himself.

"I'm sorry mademoiselle, but there's no Emily Fitch listed for reservation."

Emily brought her gaze back on the receptionist, her mouth hanging agape as she took the words in. "But there must be a mistake!" She cried out, her mind trying to recall the name of the hotel that Cook mentioned to her. He clearly said that it was Hotel Le Bristol. "Could you please check again?"

"I've already checked twice mademoiselle." The receptionist replied. "Would you like to check in then?"

Emily gnawed on her bottom lip, faced with an abrupt decision she had to make. She surely couldn't afford to stay long in this hotel, but it was already late for her to look for another place to stay, aside from the fact that she hadn't been in Paris before, and she was too lazy and stupid to bring a map with her. Plus, she was already tired from the flight and still was feeling dizzy. With one deep breath, she nodded at the receptionist, signaling that she would take a room. After getting the key, she quickly made her way to her room, making a mental note that she would kill Katie and Cook the moment she got back to Bristol for setting her up, God knows why.


	3. Desperate times, desperate measures

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 3

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **

**A/N: **

Upon arriving at the right floor, ninth to be exact, Emily slowly stepped out from the lift, her eyes growing wide with amusement and her lips forming a perfect 'o' as she walked down the hallway. Her gaze wandered around, giggling with excitement at the sight of the elegant, carved doors she just passed by, the camera steady in her hand as she took as much pictures as she could. She even took a picture of the carpeted floor with her feet in it, thinking that the picture would serve as proof that she did go to Paris and that she wasn't just dreaming or imagining things. She broke into another fit of giggles when she came across the well-uniformed bellboys and chambermaids, taking pictures of them as well. She even had them posing for her, albeit having no idea how the fuck she had convinced them to do it. After a couple of laughs and small talks, she finally stumbled on her destined door, falling into another awestricken moment as she roamed her eyes on the room. The first thing she noticed was the gigantic bed that lay on the middle of the room, looking so much comfortable, the pillows and sheets inviting her to lie down and sleep. She then threw her bag on the classy love couch, slipping off of her shoes as she jumped to the bed, bouncing up and down while she giggled to herself, her hands flailing in the air as she let out tiny squeals. She probably looked like a bloody retard right now but she couldn't care. She'd never had a nice, comfy bed like this one that's why she was savoring the feeling. She jumped a few more times, her feet springing up like she was jumping on a trampoline rather than a bed. With one last leap, she let her body drop on the bed, landing with a soft thud once she hit the mattress, pretty surprised with herself for she hadn't stopped giggling one bit. Usually, she's onto something when she did things like this. Even the sudden churning of her stomach, which led to weird sounds, made her giggle more. Another sound blurted out from her tummy and she finally decided to stop tittering, heading to the door and down the nearby restaurant to grab some proper dinner.

As she happily hopped out of the lift, she accidentally slipped on her untied shoe lace knocking herself backwards, her back hitting something solid before she finally toppled down the floor. She hurriedly sprang up to her feet, turning around to apologize to whoever she had knocked down by chance.

"I'm really, really sorry for being so clumsy." She mumbled, her gaze falling down on the young man she had met in the reception area earlier. She watched as he heaved himself up, brushing along his coat as he smoothed it. "I'm sorry." She barely whispered, her face growing hot with embarrassment.

To her surprise, and relief, the young man smiled the same beaming smile he had worn when they first saw each other. "It's alright. Are you hurt?"

Emily shook her head. "I'm fine." She answered. "I'm so sorry."

The young man let out a soft chuckle. "It's fine, really." He smiled once again as he met Emily's eyes. "Are you on your way to dinner?"

"I am."

"Mind if I join you then?"

"No, not at all." The red head replied, smiling to the young man in return.

As they made their way to the restaurant, the young man introduced himself. "I'm Freddie by the way. Freddie McLaire."

"I'm-"

"Emily Fitch." Freddie broke off, extending his hand to shake Emily's.

"How did you know?" She asked, surprised.

"I have psychic powers."

"No way!"

"No. I'm just kidding." Freddie chortled. "I heard you mentioning it to the receptionist earlier."

"Oh right. I must have said it too loud." Emily nodded in understanding.

"Nope. I'm just pretty good at eavesdropping." Both of them laughed at Freddie's words. "Before I forget, it's my treat tonight."

The red head's forehead creased with confusion. "Why?"

"Let's just say, for failing to catch you when you slipped."

"No, you don't need to do that." Emily protested, motioning her hands to express her disagreeing. "It's my fault anyway."

The corner of Freddie's lips curled up. "But I insist." He stated before pushing the restaurant door and letting Emily in.

"So are you staying here?" The red head later on asked, once they had settled on a table for two and had their orders taken.

Freddie shook his head. "I was just here to visit a friend. You might know her actually."

One of Emily's brows shot up. "Who?"

"Naomi Campbell. Rings a bell?"

"Which one?" Emily chuckled. "There are two of them."

"Oh yeah, right." Freddie laughed. "Uhm, the blonde one. "

Emily's eyes widened in shock, the memories of what had happened on the plane suddenly flooding her mind. She gnawed on her bottom lip, feeling her cheeks tainting red with chagrin.

"Is something wrong?"

Emily shook her head exceedingly. "Nothing. I just remembered something." She mouthed, covering up.

Freddie offered another friendly smile. "Food's here." He gleefully stated, his lips still curled up as she watched Emily at the corner of his eyes.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

It had been three days since she had arrived and toured in Paris, three days since her dinner with Freddie, three fucking days and neither Katie nor Cook had picked up her call. Emily had been calling her house, calling her twin's mobile as well as Cook's as much as she hated it, all of the calls not being answered. She was starting to get worried, starting to suspect that this was all a major set-up and that there was something really wrong going on. Worse, she was running low on her resources. She was already out of money that she might not be able to pay the hotel bill. She took several deep breaths as she squirmed on her bed, nearly throwing the phone to the wall as her umpteenth call remained unanswered. She slammed the phone back to the bedside table, squirming once more to rid of her annoyance and despair. She turned on her side, her eyes falling on the black jacket hanging by the wall, a tempting plan suddenly forming in her mind.

Emily took several deep breaths to calm her nerves down, her heart frantically beating, anxious at what she was about to do. She stood before the white carved door, holding her fist up to knock, only to bring it down once the nervousness surged in again. She turned around, catching her quick breaths before facing the door once more, this time knocking instantly as soon as she found the courage to do so. She played with her fingers while she waited for the door to open.

A tall, blonde girl appeared by the ajar door, with a chafed look on her face. "What do you want?" She hissed.

Emily's eyes grew wide in shock, her cheeks blushing, burning hot. "Erm, y-you're-" She swallowed to get rid of the lump that suddenly had formed on her throat.

"What?" Naomi scowled.

"Y-you're on your knickers." The red head softly mumbled, her finger pointing towards Naomi.

Naomi slowly lowered her head, a blush of red tainting her cheeks upon realizing. "Oh shit!" She cursed. "Fucking hell." She fumbled, slamming her door shut.

Emily turned around, huffing on her breaths as she waited for her heart to get back on its normal beating. She waited for a few moments to make sure that Naomi had recovered too and was already decent, not that she didn't like to see the model on her knickers, before facing the door again. Alright, fuck that thought, but then she'd be lying if she said she didn't like it. Christ! Onto the plan.

Another bang on the door in which Naomi vexedly attended to. "What the fuck?" She scowled, her cheeks still pink from the recent incident.

"Uhm, hey, remember me?" The red head gleefully greeted, trying to lift the mood up.

"How could I forget?" Naomi answered, her tone cold, like before.

"Erm, yeah, I brought your jacket for you." Emily lifted the jacket for the blonde to see. "That's already clean."

Naomi rolled her eyes before seizing the jacket from the red head's hand. "Thanks." She muttered stoically, slamming the door shut behind her. She had not even taken her first step when there was a loud knock on her door again. "Jesus!" She cried out, making the red head flinch. "What the hell do you want?"

"Can I ask for some help?" Emily softly mumbled, a hopeful smile shaping on her lips.

"No."

The fourth knock caused Naomi to scrunch her face. This girl was giving her a fucking headache. "What now?"

"Please? We're both from of England. Can't you help a fellow citizen?"

Naomi blew out an exasperated breath. "I said no didn't I?" She glowered. "Stop banging on my door or I'll call security."

Emily bit her bottom lip, her eyes squinting a tad bit as she dared another knock. She was pretty sure the blonde was on the verge of throwing a fit, the fierce glares telling her so. But she was in a desperate situation and in desperate need of money, so she could pay the hotel bill and purchase the plane ticket back to Bristol.

The door violently swung open, revealing an angry Naomi towering over Emily, her arms crossed above her chest. "You just don't get it do you?"

"I'm really sorry for the trouble. But could you give me Freddie's number? That's all I ask."

"You know Freddie?"

Emily answered with a nod.

"How?" The blonde asked, her brow arching up. "Are you two dating?"

The question caught Emily off guard, but before she knew it, she was already nodding to answer the inquiry.

"Funny he didn't mention you to me." The blonde mumbled. "He's always the secretive one. That tosser."

Emily stayed silent, intently watching Naomi as she thought about helping the red head or not.

"Right, I guess you can come in." Naomi replied, her voice softening a bit as she opened the door wide for Emily to step in, settling on the couch after. "Do you know where Freddie is?"

"He just left. He left me here." Emily answered, her voice breaking down not because of crying but rather because of the lie she had now began telling. She couldn't even look Naomi in the eye, constantly keeping her head low to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"He did?" Naomi cried in disbelief. "Why?"

Emily swallowed before answering. "We had a massive fight and then he left. Now I've got no money to pay for the hotel and the plane ticket."

"If you're dating then, why don't you know his number?"

It was a trick question, Emily knew it. "He's got too many numbers. I can't memorize them all. And my phone died. I-I wasn't able to bring any charger or extra batteries." She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that the lie would get past the blonde. "I-I just wanna go home." She barely whispered, the cracking of her voice adding to the effect.

"Well, even if you do have his number, you can't talk to him either." Naomi shrugged. "He doesn't talk to anybody when he's angry." She sighed before reaching for her bag, drawing out a black, leather purse. "How much do you need?"

"Just the amount to pay for the hotel bill and the ticket." The red head mumbled. "I'll pay you as soon as I get back. I'll leave my contact details if you want."

"Whatever." Naomi rolled her eyes, handing Emily a fair number of Euro bills. "Right, can you leave now and never bang on my door again?"

The red head nodded energetically, leaving her contact details before darting out the door. "Thank you Naomi." The blonde answered with a feigned smile.

Emily skipped on her way back to her room, clutching the bills tightly in her hand. She could feel the guilt eating her now, yet she pushed it aside, planning to deal with it as soon as she got back to Bristol, because really, desperate times call for desperate measures.


	4. Twist of faith

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 4

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **Things are just unpredictable.

**A/N: **We're almost near the interesting part :D Please review on your way out, if you can :)

"You and Cook are dead meat when I see you."

Katie played the voicemail a couple of times more before turning to Cook, her face creased with worry. "That was Emily."

Cook's head snapped up at the mere mention of the younger twin's name. "What did she say?"

"We're dead meat when she sees us." Katie barely whispered, her free hand quickly flying to her tummy. "I think she found out that we lied about the promo."

Cook rushed to Katie's side, seeing his girlfriend's face turning pale. "Hey. Stop worrying yeah?" He whispered in Katie's ear, brushing her fringe away from her eyes as he gently rubbed her back. "It's bad for you and the baby when you worry too much."

"We should've just told her Cook." Katie replied, meeting her boyfriend's eyes. "She'd help us. There's no way she wouldn't."

"But we don't want to add anymore burden to Emily." Cook countered. "She's had enough."

"Still, we should've not lied. Sending her to Paris just so we could sell her house." Katie settled on Cook's neck. "And now, we're hiding from her. I'm the worst twin ever."

Cook leaned in to kiss the top of Katie's hair. "Shhh, babe, don't cry. If you cry, the baby will cry too."

"I feel like a fucking horrible person right now." Katie muttered in between her sniffs. "There's nowhere for her to stay."

"Emily will understand. She'll be mad, but she'll definitely understand."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi had been inside her car for God knows how long now, yet she couldn't muster all the confidence to step out and approach the brunette girl who was busy going back and forth around the shop, fixing things. A small smile crept on Naomi's lips, seeing the other girl by the glass window smile contentedly as she smoothed a hanged top. The blonde had been watching her for hours. In fact, as soon as her plane landed in England, this was the first place she headed to. She tipped her head up, breathing several deep breaths before finally deciding to step out of her car. She quietly entered the shop, stopping a few steps away from the brunette who had her back turned from Naomi. She cleared her throat, patiently waiting for the brunette to turn around, her heart pounding out loud.

"Naomi."

"Hey Ef."

"Back so soon?" The brunette asked, the corner of her lips curling up into a classy smirk.

Naomi answered with a warm smile. "Yeah. Figured, I'd stay here for a while."

"Good." Effy replied. "How was Paris?"

"It was nice. Romantic." Naomi scoffed. _Better if you were there,_ she wanted to add but eventually stopped herself from blurting out.

Effy snorted. "You know what's romantic now?"

"I learned a few things." Naomi shrugged. "I, uhm, I talked to Freddie." She didn't miss the sudden glint mirrored by Effy's piercing blue eyes, that abrupt sharp intake of breath at the sound of Freddie's name. She would never ever miss that. She had been best friends with Freddie and Effy for ten long years. She knew the brunette inside and out.

"Oh." Was all that Effy could come up with.

"He says he misses you." The glittering sparkle evident in Effy's eyes brought a thousand pangs of jealousy to Naomi, making her heart clench tight. She averted her gaze, looking out the window to somehow lessen the pain that was consuming her. She bit her lip, probably too hard because she could taste blood on the tip of her tongue. She heard Effy scoff.

"Why didn't he call me then?"

Naomi snapped her head towards Effy's direction. "He's probably busy. You know, too many things he wants to do. All of them at the same-" The blonde was broken off by the noisy clattering of the door chimes, the sight of the new comer clenching her heart tighter, so much tighter that she felt like choking.

"Effy!" Freddie shouted.

Naomi's gaze flickered to the brunette, the surprised yet beaming look on Effy's face killing her. Suddenly, it was all too much for her that she just wanted to run away, especially when Effy ran and enveloped Freddie into a hug while she had got the lamest fucking welcome ever. She painfully watched the exchange of grand welcomes, her gaze staying at Effy's beaming face. She cursed herself for staring too long, for torturing herself more. Sometimes, she could just be so stupid.

"Naomi."

She watched as Freddie made his way to her, his arms circling around her shoulders. She smiled at him, shoving the thoughts of pushing him away and hitting him in the face. She had no reason and definitely no right to. Effy wasn't hers. Fucking hell, why must the truth hurt most of the time?

"You ladies free? I haven't had lunch yet."

"Sure." Effy answered instantaneously. "Naomi, you're coming right?"

"Erm, yeah sure." She had no idea where her answer even came from. All she knew was that she'll waste no time to be with Effy, seeing Freddie as someone of competition for some reason.

The ride to their favorite place was uncomfortably quiet, though Naomi was pretty glad that Effy had chosen to take the ride with her. She racked her brains hard for any kind of small talk she could think of, yet, every time she tried opening her mouth to speak, she would find herself pressing her lips in a tight line instead, unable to articulate whatever was on her mind. Effy, on the other hand chose to fix her gaze on the window instead, her eyes occasionally flickering to the rear view mirror to check on Freddie's car which was trailing behind them. This made the ride unbearably painful to the blonde, her mind battling between stopping the car and dropping Effy off or ignoring the obvious. It would seem that she chose the latter instead. Upon arriving at the place, to which the blonde was very thankful of, she braced herself for more painful moments that she could possibly witness as they settled on the table and had their orders taken. She watched the gleeful conversation between Effy and Freddie while she chose to keep quiet, living up to being the third wheel among them three.

"Listen Naomi." The blonde jumped as Freddie suddenly called her out, breaking her reverie.

"Yeah?"

"When I was in Paris, I met this really funny girl."

Naomi's eyes instantly flickered on Effy's direction, gauging the brunette's reaction. To her relief, Effy remained nonchalant and stoic, hiding the hurt and disappointment in her face. She was pretty thankful to Effy's reaction because she was entirely sure that seeing the pain in Effy's face would totally break her apart, break her resolve. Her eyes then fell back to Freddie, who had this excited look on his face. "Oh, really?" She replied. "Where did you meet her?"

"At the hotel. She's really amazing." Freddie stated. "Her name's Emily. Emily Fitch."

The name struck a certain memory on Naomi's whirling thoughts. "You're dating her right?"

Freddie shook his head. "No. I'm not." He chortled. "I just met her. Bumped into her when I was leaving the hotel. You know, after I paid you a visit."

Naomi let out an exasperated sigh, her nostrils flaring as realization hit her. That pestering girl fucking lied to her. And she, being the ultimate fucking fool, believed the red head's perfectly constructed lie. She felt her teeth gritting, unaware of the worried and flustered looks Freddie and Effy was throwing her.

"Naomi, are you alright?" Freddie spoke.

"You really aren't dating her?" She asked instead.

"No. I'm not. I swear." He answered. "Why? Do you know her?"

"No. I don't." She lied, thinking of protecting her pride. She couldn't let anybody know that somebody had just made a fool out of her. Besides, this thing was between her and Emily. Just the two of them. "I was just asking." She stood up and reached for her bag. "I think I've got to go."

"But Naomi, we've just had our order." Effy protested.

"I just have to fix some things." She said before storming out of the restaurant, leaving her two companions flustered.

On the bright side, she had to thank Emily for momentarily distracting her and pulling her out of the pain filled hole she dug herself into.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily skipped her way to her house, basking at the relief that settled on her stomach. She was just happy to be home at last, safe from the high cost of living Paris had and the unfamiliarity of it. For once, she was pleased to hear the ear piercing honks coming from the cars and buses passing by the main road, which used to annoy the fuck out of her. Reaching the gates, she dropped her bag and hooked her hand between the metal bars and flicked the lock. She gleefully dragged her bag along with her as she scrambled on her feet, for she can't wait to feel the comfort of her bed, only to be greeted by a newly decorated house, the interior and stuff entirely different, sending her in a state of shock. She slowly stepped in, still amazed by her house's sudden transformation, racking her brains hard and searching for reasons of how something like this could happen. Surely it wasn't Katie and Cook's doing, where the fuck would they get the money to pay for everything. She let her fingertips brush on the brand new stylish couch now placed on the living room, the softness and smoothness of it making her giggle uncontrollably. She could feel her heart frantically pounding on her chest, like it wanted to burst out. Maybe she had won another contest, but that would be impossible because she hadn't signed up for anything. Right! Maybe she was in this reality show where people get to be fooled, tricked into believing something that was entirely untrue. Maybe that's why Katie and Cook had sent her to Paris. She broke into another fit of giggles at the thought. Maybe the people were waiting for her in her room, ready to surprise her and welcome her to whatever bloody show she was at. She sprinted up to her room, leaving her phone that had started to ring incessantly, and burst to the door, only to find it totally empty, except for another suitcase lying on the middle with a white envelope on top of it. She grabbed the letter and tore it open with her nimble fingers.

_Emily,_

_I want you to know that we're awfully sorry that we had to do this. Cook and I, especially me. I know how important this house is to you because it's important to me too, but we were left with no choice. I'm having a baby and we can't afford it. Even if Cook and I could manage to find jobs, we still can't afford living on our own. Selling the house and everything was the only solution we could think of. We badly need the money Em. Believe me, it was the fucking hardest thing I had to do._

_I know you'd be so mad at me after you read this letter. Still, I want you to know that I'm really, really sorry. We are._

_I love you Emily._

_Katie_

_P.S. There's a picture of the ultrasound, in case you want to see your future niece/nephew._

Emily read the letter twice, the small piece of paper shaking in her hands, her tears dropping on the thin sheet. She could feel her knees wobbling until they finally gave up as she dropped on the floor, the weak feeling surging within her. She thought about how Katie could do this to her, of all people, Katie who was her fucking twin. She would probably understand if it was Cook, but it wasn't. It was Katie. She felt utterly betrayed that she scrunched the letter on her hand, imagining it was Cook's neck she was strangling. She was pretty sure it was that fucking boy that gave her twin the silly idea, making her hate Cook more than anything else in this world. She spent a few minutes, though it felt like hours to her, before heaving herself up and dragging the suitcase downstairs. She headed to the front door, sitting on the stair steps while she looked at the captured image of Katie's ultrasound. For some reason, the picture lifted her mood a tad bit, she was happy to have an addition to the family but she was in no mood for celebrating at all. She buckled her knees, pressing her forehead against them as she broke into another set of tears. Where the hell was she going to stay for the night?

The sudden opening of the gate interrupted her thoughts, her head snapping up to see who just came in. Her eyes grew wide with shock and surprise at the sight. It would seem that the new comer had the same exact reaction.

"You!" Naomi cried out. "What are you doing in my house?"

"You?" Emily blurted out in disbelief. Of all people who could possibly bought the house, why her?

Life was just so unpredictable.


	5. Twist of faith II

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 5

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **She may be a bitch but she wasn't heartless.

**A/N: **We're really getting there :D

"How the fuck did you get in here?"

"What do you mean?" Emily spat back. "I live here!"

Naomi let out a loud scoff. "Is this still part of your big fucking lie?"

"Excuse me?" Emily's forehead creased with confusion.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Didn't think I would find out so soon eh?" She retorted. "I can't believe I fell for that stupid lie."

"Lie?" Emily cried out. "What lie?"

"Please help me, Freddie left me here. I've got no money." Naomi spoke, mimicking the red head's voice, her face feigning a pitiful look. "We're dating. But we fought and my bloody phone died." She added, her voice rising an octave at her last words. "Rings a bell?" She watched Emily's face, turning pale first before the sudden blush flooded her cheeks, with a disgusted look.

"I-I had no choice." The red head stammered, averting her gaze from Naomi. "I was desperate. I needed money and you wouldn't help me."

"Are you saying it's my fault?" Naomi spat back, hands flying in her hips.

Emily shook her head exceedingly. "No, no. I didn't mean that." She hesitated for a moment, eyeing the blonde. She could see the anger evident on Naomi's face, which scared her, sending her heartbeat to frantic beats. "Look, I'll pay you back. I swear. Just, just not right now." She sniffed, her tears streaking down her cheeks. "I've got bigger problems to deal with."

A look of disbelief crawled on the blonde's face, her mouth hanging agape. She watched as Emily sank back down to the stair steps, her hand supporting her forehead, the other clutching a crumpled piece of paper. "Christ!" She called out. "Why are you crying? I haven't even done anything to you."

Emily didn't utter a word and stretched her hand instead, showing Naomi the piece of paper she was holding. The blonde quickly seized it from her, snorting out loud as soon as she read the letter. "Who's Katie?"

"My fucking twin." Emily answered nonchalantly.

Naomi let another scoff out from her lips. "Twins eh?" She stated. "Well no doubt. You both like to swindle people."

Emily's head snapped up, shooting Naomi a heated glare. "I told you I'll pay you right? Not now, but I'll give you your fucking money back." She spat.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She dismissed, her hand flailing in the air. "I have no time for this." She darted to the front door, shoving Katie's letter back to the younger twin. "If you've got no more business here, you can leave." She shouted, peering through her shoulder, an insulting smirk shaping in her lips.

Emily quickly stood up, stopping Naomi from stepping inside the house. "Naomi, can I stay here? Even just for one night." She pleaded. "Please?"

"Hmmm, let me see." Naomi replied, her head tipping up slightly as she paused for no more than a second. "No." She mouthed before going inside the house, dragging the word longer than usual. She then turned around, slamming the door shut behind her.

Emily shifted in her place, so that she was standing in front of the door. She was about to knock when it swung open.

"And don't dare bang on my door." Naomi stated, throwing Emily a fierce glare before shutting the door again.

Emily's shoulders slumped down as she turned around defeated. She grabbed both her suitcases, her eyes wandering around for a decent place to sleep. It was already dark and she had no idea where on earth Katie and her damn boyfriend were staying. She had absolutely no place to go. Spotting an empty bench on the porch, she dragged her bags along with her and settled there. She pulled a baggy jumper from the large suitcase and slipped it on, pulling out another jumper that would serve as her duvet. She firmly placed her purse on the edge of the bench and rested her head on it, her eyes gazing on the stars and the sky above her. She counted them one by one, the glittering sparkle lulling her to sleep.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi woke up early for her daily jog. It was probably still around six in the morning when she jumped out of her bed and slipped into a pair of sweatpants, hooded sweatshirt and rubber shoes. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, her earphones stuck on her ears. She energetically dashed downstairs, straight to the door when a flash of a sleeping figure caught her eyes. She walked towards the occupied bench, her eyes rolling with dismay as she blew out an exasperated breath. She gently nudged the sleeping red head to wake her up.

"Hey, I told you to leave." She blurted out, seeing Emily stir from her deep slumber. "Get up." She stated, shaking the red head softly. "Get up now." She hissed. She pulled the jumper away from Emily and grabbed her by the wrist when she noticed that the red head was burning hot. Her hand instantaneously flew to Emily's forehead, checking her temperature.

"Fucking hell." She cursed under her breath, her hunch proven. She scooped Emily into her arms and carried her inside, letting the red head lie down on the couch. Naomi rushed upstairs to her room, clutching a thick blanket and a soft pillow in her arms as she came back. She slipped the pillow behind Emily's head, lifting her shoulders up a bit for the pillow to fit in. She spread the blanket wide and covered Emily with it before checking for her temperature again.

"Fuck it." She blurted out, the feel of Emily's forehead burning under her palm. "Come on, you're going to the hospital." She told the red head, scooping her once more.

Emily shook her head as she pulled away from Naomi's arms. "I'll be fine here." She barely whispered, her voice weak.

Naomi then rushed to the bathroom, grabbing a basin and filling it with cold water, as well as a small towel from the cabinet. She placed the basin on top of the table and dipped the towel in it, putting it on Emily's forehead after she squeezed it dry. She then rummaged the red head's suitcase, leaving her for a moment, to look for comfy clothes that Emily could change into. As she opened the bag, she saw a framed picture with seven people in it, taken on the backyard of this very house. There was an elderly man and woman in the picture, whom she guessed were Emily's grandparents, Emily's parents, the twins themselves and a young boy whom she supposed was the youngest sibling. She gently put the frame down and pulled out a pair of decent clothes, heading to Emily afterwards.

"Emily." She softly called, the first time she ever called the red head by her name. "You need to go and get changed." She whispered as she waited for Emily to flutter her eyes open. Instead, she saw a lone tear flowing down to her temple, mumbling something incoherent that even when Naomi leaned in, she still couldn't understand. "Emily." She nudged again. "You need to go change." The red head stirred from her position and slowly sat upright, grabbing the clothes that Naomi had handed. The blonde then headed to the kitchen and prepared some soup for Emily while she watched the red head at the corner of her eyes. Once sure that Emily was done changing, she went back to the living room and dipped the towel again, placing it back to Emily's forehead as she waited for the soup to boil.

"Eat this alright?" Naomi stated, putting the tray of soup down the table. She rolled her eyes when Emily shook her head. "You need to eat this so you could take the medicine."

"I'm not hungry." Emily hoarsely replied, her voice almost gone.

"I'll throw you out if you don't eat."

The red head's eyes slowly opened, her gaze falling on Naomi. "Are you that heartless?"

"Oi!" Naomi bellowed. "Does this face look heartless to you?" She spoke, her index finger directed towards her own face. "Now eat before I lose my temper."

Emily unwillingly sat upright, grabbed the spoon and took a sip of the hot soup. She felt it burning down her throat as she swallowed and found it oddly comforting as it settled on her stomach. She took more sips, the soup tasting better and better, until she finished the whole serving.

"Here." She lifted her gaze up and took the medicine that Naomi was handing her. She swallowed the bitter pill and downed the glass of water in one go, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as soon as she finished. "Naomi." She later on called out. "About the house-"

"Just rest first." Naomi broke off. "We'll talk about it once you're feeling better."

Emily nodded and rested back on the couch.

"I need to go to the studio, so you'll have to take care of yourself for a while." The blonde said, glancing on her watch. "Can you do that?"

"Yeah." Emily replied, eyeing Naomi. "Thank you." She smiled weakly.

The blonde answered with a single nod, heading upstairs to shower and change. Emily shuffled in her place, clutching the blanket tighter as she drifted into another deep slumber.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

The next morning, Emily felt better at once, regaining her strength from the much needed rest she just had. Although, she was pretty worried about where her upcoming talk with Naomi would lead to. She took in several deep breaths, sensing the blonde going down the stairs. She quickly closed her eyes as Naomi came near, feeling Naomi's palm on her forehead.

"Feeling better?" She heard Naomi ask. She batted her eyes open and offered a warm smile before nodding to answer. She sat upright and folded the blanket, fidgeting with the hem of her top as she watched Naomi settle on the seat beside her.

"So let me get this straight. You got nowhere else to go?" The blonde asked, crossing her legs.

Emily shyly nodded, averting her gaze from Naomi.

"What about your twin?"

"I really don't know where she is." The red head replied, her voice still as hoarse as last night. "She wouldn't pick up any of my calls."

"Such a darling and reliable twin." Naomi scoffed.

"Hey, she's got her reasons yeah?"

"Whatever." The blonde rolled her eyes. "Tell you what. I'll find you an apartment and pay for it. You can pay me back whenever you can."

"But you don't understand." Emily protested.

"Understand what?"

"This house is built by my grandfather. It's just not a house to me. It's a part of me."

"What do you want me to do?" Naomi retorted, her voice rising. "Give it back to you? I paid a huge amount for this house."

Emily remained silent for a moment, her tears on the verge of falling. She pushed back the lump that had formed in her throat before starting to speak. "I'll do anything you want. Just please let me stay here."

"And I don't want you to do anything for me, so you could go." Naomi spat back insultingly, a mocking grin spreading wide in her face.

"Please Naomi, I'm begging you." Emily pleaded as she tried to hold back her tears.

"You're actually making me late for my meeting." The blonde stood up and made her way to the door.

The red head then broke into sobs as she watched Naomi ignoring her pleas. She buried her face into her hands, her shoulders trembling as she let out the tears. Naomi lifted her hand to twist the handle when she stopped and tipped her head up, her foot tapping incessantly on the floor as Emily's sobs filled her ears. She blew out a deep breath.

"I want this house cleaned by the time I get back." Naomi paused, eyes glued on the front door. She could hear the mellowing sobs of the red head. "I want the floor gleaming yeah?" She pressed her lips in a tight line. "I'll be here just in time for dinner, and then we'll talk." Naomi finished and slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Emily pleasantly surprised and entirely speechless.

She may be a bitch but she surely wasn't heartless.


	6. The offer

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 6

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **The truth hurts.

**A/N: **Don't know about this chap, but hope you'll like it :D ^^

It might have been more than a few minutes since Naomi left, but Emily remained rooted on her seat, waiting for her sobs to altogether subside. She took several deep breaths between her sniffs, attempting to calm herself down. There was a spark of hope instigating inside her, brought about by Naomi's words, glowing even brighter as she repeated the same exact words in her head. Feeling a sudden surge of strength within her, one that wasn't coming from the rest she just had, she stood up and fixed the couch, picking up the tray and the basin as she headed to the kitchen. She placed them on top of the counter and reached for the apron that she spotted, hooking it over her head and around her waist. She could feel the sudden burning desire to please Naomi, as if it was the key for her to be able to stay in this house. Grabbing the broom and the polisher from the closet, she started to clean around. She was so used to cleaning the entire house that it was almost too easy for her. She was pretty sure that she'd finish in no time, especially now that she had the proper tools to make her work easier. She proceeded on polishing the floor, up to the point that it was actually passable to be a mirror. She worked on the windows next, leaving them spotless before shifting her attention to the spiral stairs, dusting them off as well. She smiled as soon as she was finished, fully satisfied that she had done what Naomi exactly wanted to happen.

Gleaming, brilliantly gleaming.

Next in line was the upper floor, Naomi's room to be exact. She gently pushed the door open and flicked on the lights, marveling on the luxurious transformation of what used to be her parents' room. She slowly stepped inside, deliberating each step as her eyes wandered around, eventually stopping at the life sized poster of Naomi stuck on the wall, stylishly enclosed in some kind of glass casing and illuminated by perfectly combined artificial lights. She couldn't help but admire the poster. Naomi sat sideways on a motorcycle while wearing a fit black rider's jacket, her legs crossed. She wore a black V-necked dress with white lining in it, its length up above her knees. Her two hands clutched both hems of the jacket, her hair sprawled all over her head in the most attractive way possible. She had this fierce look on her face, fierce yet enchanting. The poster looked so real that Emily had stared at it definitely longer than she was planning too. There was something in the poster that was holding her gaze, stopping her from looking away. Soon, she realized it was Naomi's expressive azure eyes, eyes that conveyed a thousand emotions in one single pose. Just one pose and she captured it all. Emily thought it was just exceptional, amazing in fact, how Naomi's eyes expressed everything. She found herself liking them actually, as much as she hated admitting it. With one last mesmerized stare and impressed smile, she tore her gaze away and moved to what she was really supposed to be doing, cleaning.

Luckily, Emily only took almost two hours to finish cleaning the whole house, giving herself enough time to prepare dinner just before Naomi would arrive. Emily settled for some steak and potatoes. She also made some soup in case Naomi would want one. She set the dining table up, placing a plate, a glass and a pair of spoon and fork on the blonde's side of the table. In the middle, she placed the platter of steak and the baked potatoes beside it. Seeing that everything was all set, she sat down on the comfy chair opposite Naomi's and waited for the blonde to arrive, fidgeting with her fingers to somehow ease the nervousness she was feeling. It didn't take a while before Emily could hear the sound of Naomi's car. She could feel her breath shortening, hearing Naomi's footsteps echoing around the hall, the sound growing louder as she drew near.

"Hey." She shyly greeted, meeting Naomi's eyes. The blonde's lips pressed in a tight line, answering Emily's welcome with a half nod. "Dinner's ready." Emily continued as she watched Naomi quietly settling on the chair.

Naomi's gaze flickered from her plate to Emily's empty side of the table. "Had dinner already?"

Emily softly shook her head. "I-I'm not hungry."

"Don't be silly." Naomi snorted. "Grab a plate and eat dinner with me."

The red head slowly stood up and provided herself her own plate, taking place opposite Naomi's chair. She waited for the blonde to be the first to dig in before she scooped some food for her. Dinner passed without any exchange of words at all. Just the clattering of plates and silverwares, Emily's food barely touched because of the nauseating feeling settling on her stomach. She could feel her heart hammering out loud, too loud that she thought Naomi could almost hear it.

"When are you gonna pay me?"

Emily's head snapped up, gnawing on her bottom lip. "I'm not forgetting it, don't worry." She answered.

Naomi's brow shot up. "And you want the house back?"

Emily softly nodded her head. "I'll pay you the same amount you have spent."

"But you have no money." The blonde snorted. "Besides, it'll take years to buy this house back."

"I know. But this house is just important to me."

"Jesus!" Naomi blurted out. "I bloody know okay? I've heard that before."

"I'll pay you back, I swear." Emily replied, her voice low.

"Tell you what." Naomi replied. "I'll let you stay here."

Emily's eyes were suddenly filled with glint, a hopeful smile shaping in her lips. "Really?"

"But you have to work for it." Naomi paused, a sly smirk shaping in her lips. "With your body."

The red head's eyes grew wide with shock, her hands unconsciously wrapping around her, crossing over her chest, like she was hiding from Naomi's prying eyes. "M-my body?" She stuttered.

Naomi broke into an amused laugh, seeing the stupid look on Emily's face. "You wish." She spoke between her laughter. "But that's not what I'm talking about.

Emily quickly brought her hands down, slightly slamming them on the table. She could feel her cheeks burning hot. "What then?" She asked, her head bent down to hide the blush.

"It's pretty simple really." Naomi replied. "I just need you to clean the house, that's all."

"Just that?"

Naomi gave a half nod. "I also need you to prepare breakfast at exactly seven in the morning. Steamed fish."

A look of disbelief appeared on Emily's face. "But that means I have to wake up at six." She protested. "I don't wake up that early."

The blonde threw Emily a 'so what?' look. "That's your bloody problem, not mine."

Emily took a deep breath before offering Naomi a smile. "Anything else?" They surely were getting on each other's nerves.

"I want the house cleaned every day. I'm totally allergic to dust so you better make sure everything's dusted off." Naomi added. "Got it or do I have to repeat myself?" She smirked, sarcastic.

"Of course, I got it." Emily replied. "Would you also like me to address you as Queen? Or your Majesty perhaps?"

"As much as I'd like that,-" Naomi's sarcastic smile suddenly turned into a cattish expression, her brow arching high. "I'd rather you shut up." The words rolled out from her tongue acerbically. She slipped out of her seat, leaving an annoyed Emily on the dining table.

As soon as Naomi had her back turned from the red head, Emily poked her tongue out, her tiny nose crinkling from the action. To her surprise, Naomi peered over her shoulder all of a sudden, making her quickly avert her gaze towards the ceiling, biting her bottom lip as she prayed that she wasn't caught.

"I saw that." Naomi called out. "Mature Emily, very mature." Her lips quivered, unimpressed. "The dishes won't wash themselves." She bellowed as she made her way upstairs.

Emily was left on the dining table, finding herself fuming at Naomi's remarks for the first time. Suddenly, she wasn't sure if she could handle living in the same house with the blonde.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"That looks nice on you."

Naomi's eyes lit up as her gaze fell on Effy. "You think so?"

"Definitely." Effy replied, smoothing the coat out. "Where will you wear it?"

"Premiere party." The blonde smiled. "You're going right?"

The corner of Effy's lips curled up, pulling into her classy smirk.

"What?" Naomi asked, her brow arching up. "You're not?"

"I am." The brunette whispered, unable to hide the glint mirrored in her eyes. Funny, it made Naomi's insides melt and twist, with something comparable to unexplainable jealousy, at the same time. "Freddie asked me to go with him."

Naomi pressed her lips in a tight line. She knew it. She just fucking knew it. "Oh." She averted her gaze, her eyes falling on everything except from the brunette standing before her. "Right. That's well nice of him."

"Are you alright?" Effy asked, not missing the blonde's sudden change of mood. "You didn't like the coat?"

"No, no. It's nice." Naomi managed to force herself to smile. "I'm just tired."

"Let's hurry with this then, so you can rest."

Naomi watched as Effy pulled out more hanged coats from the rack. She felt this sudden need to ask what she had been always wanting to. "Ef." She called out.

"Yeah?" Effy answered, eyes still on the rack.

"Do you like Freddie?"

Effy froze for a moment. She inclined her head upwards, taking a deep breath. "I like him. I mean he's our friend right?"

"But do you like him? Really like him?"

Effy turned around, facing Naomi, and slowly nodded her head.

Naomi took a sharp intake of breath. She was half expecting it, yet, it still brought her as much pain as it already had. "But you know he doesn't like you right?"

"How could you say that?" Effy scowled. "How can you be so sure?"

"Fuck's sake Effy!" Naomi blurted out. "He told us before! He met the girl he likes in Paris!"

"He never told us that he likes her." The brunette replied coldly.

"Jesus! You can't even get the hint?" Naomi's hand flew to her nose, pinching the bridge. "Or are you just being blind?"

"What the fuck are you on about Naomi?"

"You keep throwing yourself to him like some slag who needs a good fuck!" The blonde harshly replied, the words rolling out of her mouth before even realizing the meaning and the gravity of it.

Effy furiously marched towards Naomi, her hand instantaneously flying to the blonde's face, Naomi's head hurled to the side from the force of Effy's hand. Silence fell, tension filling the atmosphere.

"Truth hurts ain't it Ef?" Naomi hissed, gently stroking her reddening cheek.

"I don't know what your fucking problem is." The brunette answered coldly, her jaw clenched tight. "I don't even know what you're so angry about."

Naomi shrugged off of the coat Effy had asked her to try on, throwing it on one of the couches on Effy's shop. Without looking back, she stormed out of the shop and straight to her car, leaving the brunette baffled and fuming.

For the first time ever, she had sought the comfort offered by her house.


	7. Naomi's story

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 7

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **More Naomily times :D

**A/N: **Unbeta'd, so mistakes are mine. Hope you all like this chap! ^^

Emily gripped Naomi's waist as the blonde pinned her against the wall, peppering her with kisses. Hot, sweet kisses that made the hairs on Emily's back stand. Goose bumps surged all over her body, her blood pulsating wildly in her veins. Naomi's lips brushed from the space behind Emily's ear, down to her chin and back up, Naomi's fingertips tracing the red head's shoulder and collarbone, torturing her, leaving a tingling and burning sensation in her trail. Suddenly, all Emily could see was Naomi, everything she could feel was Naomi's touch, the blonde's intoxicating scent filling her senses. She watched as Naomi slowly pulled away, her brown eyes meeting the pristine blue ones, drowning in them all at once, a certain glint of hunger mirrored in both their eyes. She took a sharp intake of breath as Naomi slowly bent her head down, bringing their lips close, almost brushing, almost meeting.

Almost.

Emily bolted right up, rising from the sleeping bag she was lying down at, her breath short and jagged. "Fuck's sake." She muttered, wiping the droplets of sweat that had formed in her forehead with her sleeve. "Damn fucking dream." She swallowed hard, feeling the urgent need of it as her throat had ran dry. She stood up and walked out of her room, hoping that a cold glass of water could wash away the burning sensation running throughout her whole body. Stupid, fucking poster's fault. She made a mental note to never stare at it again. Even a glimpse should never be allowed. She was almost half way down the stairs when she noticed that the lights on the kitchen were still on. She half expected that it was Naomi, although there was this tiny bit of worry in her, suspecting that it might be a burglar who would rob the fridge, of all places. (Food burglars, if there was such a thing, though Emily was pretty sure there was.) She quietly grabbed one of the vases, holding it tight in her hands, ready to pounce at once. She tiptoed her way to the kitchen, blowing out a breath of relief as soon as she recognized Naomi's familiar figure though the blonde's back was turned from her. She lowered the vase down but remained silent, trying to make out what Naomi was mumbling.

"Stupid. Fucking. Ugh."

"Naomi." She called out.

"Jesus!" Naomi jumped, quickly turning around. "Emily, what the fuck?" She blurted out, glaring at Emily.

The red head bit her lip. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Why aren't you in bed?"

"I-uhm, I came down to get a glass of water." Emily stuttered, bringing her head down as she tried to hide the blushing of her cheeks from the memory of the recent dream she had.

"You gonna drink from that vase then?" Naomi's brow shot up as she eyed the vase, her lips pulling up into a sarcastic smile.

Emily quickly hid the vase behind her. "Erm, no. I-I was going to clean this tomorrow. Thought I'd best put it here in the kitchen so I won't forget." She answered, fixing her eyes on her fidgeting toes.

"Right." Naomi answered with a skeptical look on her face. "Silly twat." She whispered.

"Bitch." The red head soundlessly mouthed before she lifted her gaze, noticing the shot glass on Naomi's hand. "You're drinking?"

"It's nothing." Naomi brushed off. She watched as Emily took another shot glass from the bar, pouring some vodka for herself.

"I'll join you then." The red head stated, walking beside Naomi as they both faced the glass window, the calm beach in view. They stayed silent for a while, watching the water hit the rocks on shore, until she decided to ask. "What was that you were mumbling about?"

"What was what about?"

"The one you were calling stupid." The red poured more vodka, for another shot.

Naomi paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "It's a movie I've seen." She lied, her eyes fixed on the waves the sea was making.

"What's it about?" Emily asked before downing the shot of vodka on her hand.

"Some girl who likes her best friend." Naomi muttered as she closed her eyes, her breath jagged, like every word spoken was a direct stab to her heart. "But her best friend likes some other person."

"Let me guess." The red head paused to drink her shot. "The girl wants to tell her best friend what she feels, but she can't."

Naomi's head quickly turned towards the girl beside her. "How do you know?"

Emily beamed at the blonde. "I'm a writer." She answered smugly. "So this girl, till the end, wasn't able to tell her feelings because she's scared. She's scared that her best friend would stay away from her. And since she couldn't live without her best friend, she chose to keep it instead, just so she wouldn't lose anything."

"Then what happens next?" Naomi asked, impressed on how Emily was able to narrate the story, her story. She gave the red head an urgent nudge when she didn't answer speak right away. "Oi! What's next?"

"Christ Naomi! Keep your knickers on!" Emily snorted, letting out an amused laugh. She downed her fourth shot, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. "The girl then decided to leave for some time, because she couldn't cope with the heartache."

"She leaves?"

"Well she could just avoid her best friend, or she leaves because she couldn't take it." Emily shrugged. "She goes to this cruise to heal her heart."

"A cruise sounds nice." Naomi agreed, contemplating on the idea.

"But then, a huge storm comes up and it wrecks the ship!" Emily watched as Naomi's forehead creased, the blonde's nose scrunching from the sudden turn of the story. "The girl then wakes up in this island full of wild fruits and vegetables. As she roamed around, she will later on discover that this was no ordinary island. It was in fact, a treasure island!" The red head cried out, her eyes sparkling, deeply satisfied with the story she had come up.

"What the fuck?" Naomi pinched the bridge of her nose as she shut her eyes tight for a brief moment. "I can't believe you're drunk already."

"Oi! I'm not." Emily disagreed. "Intoxicated, but clearly not drunk."

Naomi rolled her eyes. "I'm going to sleep." She placed the shot glass on top of the table. "Good night Emily." She said before making her way to the stairs, a small pleased smile shaping in her lips.

Emily was taken aback. It was the very first time the blonde had bade her good night. "Erm, yeah, good night." She called out as she watched Naomi walk. "I think she's the one who's drunk." The red head muttered with an incognizant smile pulling up.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"Naomi!" Emily rushed out to the garden, her eyes spotting the blonde seated on the wooden chair swing, peacefully reading a book under the warm sun. "Naomi!" She called out again, startling the other girl.

"What?"

"Can I come?" The red head asked, her eyes excited. "Can I come please?"

"Come where?" Naomi asked back, her forehead folding into a crease.

Emily lifted her hand and waved the black invitation she found while cleaning the living room. "Please Naomi?" She looked at the blonde, hopeful that she'd let her come to this premiere party to be held later on that night.

Naomi pressed her lips in a tight line, pausing for a few moments. She stared at Emily with considering eyes. "No." She replied nonchalantly after, turning her attention back to the book she was reading.

"What?" Emily cried out. "Why not?"

"It's a pain." Naomi answered coldly, eyes still on the book.

"Come on Naomi!" Emily cried out. "I won't be a bother promise. I'll behave."

"Still no."

"There'd be people in there who could be interested in my novel!"

Emily gave the blonde a soft nudge when she didn't answer. "Take me along." She nudged again. "If this works, I'd be able to pay you back sooner!"

Naomi quickly tore her gaze from the book, snapping it shut. "What part of 'no, I don't want to' do you not understand?"

Emily pursed her lips and squinted her eyes, her nostrils flaring. She waited until Naomi had gone back to reading before she kicked the chair swing so hard that the blonde lost her balance and landed flat on the ground on her bum. She stuck her tongue out, her nose scrunching, before storming back into the house keeping the invitation with her.

"Emily! Come back here you-" The red head continued marching, ignoring Naomi's fit.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily stayed almost the whole day in her room, waiting for Naomi to leave the house. After what she had done earlier in the garden, she was sure for certain that any encounter with the blonde would result into a massive fight and she might end up being strangled on her neck. She eyed the invitation lying over her bag and came up with a decision not long after. This could be the biggest opportunity she could ever have and she's not going to lose it. She stood up and peered through her door, her eyes checking Naomi's room. The lights were already out so she rushed to her window, relief washing over her as she saw Naomi's car speed off. Wasting no more moment, she quickly headed to the bathroom and took a shower, drying her hair and fixing it afterwards. She put on her favorite dress and applied her make-up, smiling on her reflection as she checked herself in the mirror. Pretty satisfied with the result, she slipped on her shoes, grabbed her purse and darted to the door, the invitation clutched tight in her hand.

Upon arriving at the party, she nervously handed the invitation to the checker, breathing a sigh of relief once she was allowed to come in. She scrambled to her feet, her eyes wandering everywhere as she marveled at the elegance of the party, stifling a squeal because she could not believe that she was really here, about to rub shoulders with all kinds of famous people.

Due to Emily's excitement taking over, she failed to notice a flash of peroxide blonde hair marching towards her direction, fuming and extremely annoyed that her words were once again ignored.


	8. Premiere party surprise

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 8

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **Sometimes, things just don't go your way.

**A/N: **Unbeta'd. Pretty worried about this chapter, I don't know if I was able to bring the best out of it. It's one of the turning points, so I'm kind of nervous writing it.

"How did you get here?" Naomi hissed, throwing a heated glare to Emily as she reached her.

The red head lifted her gaze up, from the row of desserts she was choosing at. "By bus." She answered innocently, sucking the icing from her thumb. "How else?"

Naomi's lips quivered. "That's not what I meant." Her hands flew to her hips, moving closer to Emily. "I told you not to come here right?" She whispered sharply.

"Where I go is my business." Emily answered while she stacked a couple of cupcakes on her plate. "It's my own free will."

Naomi let out a strangled groan. "You never listen to me one bit, do you?"

"Look, just pretend we don't know each other yeah? Mind our own business." She grinned sarcastically at Naomi before quickly walking away from her.

Naomi gnashed her teeth together, watching Emily leave with a look of utter disbelief in her face. She blew an exasperated breath before marching towards the red head's direction as she completely disappeared from her sight. She scrambled to her feet, looking around for any signs of where Emily could possibly be, giving half nods to those people who were greeting her along the way. Until she came across the one person she had been avoiding and wishing not to meet all night.

Effy.

She stopped dead.

They stared at each other for a moment, an awkward and uncomfortable silence falling on both of them. The memories of their falling out deluged Naomi's mind, causing her to be the first to avert her gaze and close her eyes. She walked past the brunette, her head up high, pretending she did not see anybody at all. She didn't even bother to look back when their shoulders brushed. She swore she could feel Effy's electric blue eyes boring onto her back but she did not stop walking, until she was perfectly sure that she had a fair distance away from Effy, before collapsing on the bench she spotted, her heart beating frantically. Suddenly, she felt so tired and weary that she leaned against the bench for some support. She took several deep breaths to calm herself down, before flipping her mobile phone open. She dialed Emily's number, thinking maybe it was time to call it a night.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily was in such a hurry, peering over her shoulder from time to time to check if Naomi was following her, that she failed to notice the approaching man in front. She collided with him so hard that she almost lost her balance. Luckily, the man caught her just in time, stopping her from her impending fall.

"We bumped into each other again."

Emily lifted her gaze, a shy smile pulling up in her lips as she recognized the person she had collided into, his name rolling out instantaneously from her mouth. "Freddie."

Freddie shifted and steadied the red head, so that she could stand properly. "Hey Emily." He smiled. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Emily replied with a smile. "God, I'm so sorry!" She mouthed after, her eyes falling on Freddie's smeared coat. The icing on her cupcake must have been accidentally smudged onto the white coat when they ran into each other.

"Oh." Freddie chuckled, seeing the stain. "It's alright." He took out his hanky and dabbed it lightly. "I think we should go sit somewhere while I fix this."

Spotting a small and empty gazebo, they headed inside, sitting side by side on the wooden bench. Emily took the hanky from Freddie's hand and cleaned the stain herself. "I'm really sorry Freddie."

"It's fine. It's just some stain." He replied with a friendly smile, taking his hanky back. "Let me do it."

Emily drew a deep breath and shuffled in her seat, her eyes wondering around. "There are an awful lot of people in here."

"It's a really big party."

She turned to face Freddie. "I wonder." Her eyes squinted a bit. "Do you know anybody who I could show my writing to?"

"You write?" Freddie asked in surprise.

The red head nodded. "I'm halfway writing my first novel." She bit her lip. "But I'm thinking of changing the whole thing."

"Why? You said it's halfway finished. Why change everything?"

"It seems to be missing something." She shrugged. "I don't know what. But there is." Emily crossed her legs and leaned her elbow against her knee, supporting her chin with her palm. "I badly need a reviewer."

Freddie broke into a wide smile. "Well I guess you're in luck tonight." He replied, pulling a leather wallet from his pocket and handing a small card to Emily.

"You're an editor?" Emily's eyes circled wide as she read what the card said, watching Freddie nod his head.

"I could help you with your work if you want."

"Really?" Emily gasped. "I would love to!" She gleefully screamed. "I mean, if you're not busy with anything else at the moment."

"To be honest, I'm kind of trying my hands on media publishing. You know, screen plays and stuff." Freddie shrugged. "But I could always make time for you."

The red head lowered her gaze to hide her suddenly blushing face. "Thanks."

Freddie let out a chuckle. "No problem. You can drop by anytime you're ready."

Emily nodded, offering Freddie a sheepish smile. The young man smiled wide in return, both of them jumping at the sound of Emily's phone ringing. The red head fished the phone out from her purse, scowling at the sight of the caller's name. "Uhm, excuse me, I'll just have to take this." She motioned the phone and excused herself, picking up the call outside the gazebo.

They were too engrossed with talking to each other that they did not become aware of the girl watching them intently at the far corner.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Freddie was busy cleaning his coat when he felt the presence of someone coming in on the gazebo. He lifted his gaze, his eyes meeting a pair of electric blue ones.

"Effy." He greeted, offering a friendly smile. "Is something wrong?" Freddie worriedly asked, seeing Effy's face torn between nonchalance and breaking down.

"Why are you being this way?" Effy blurted out instead. "Are you doing this on purpose?"

Freddie's forehead folded into a crease. "I don't know what you're talking about Effy."

"Are you trying to make me jealous?" The brunette cried out. "Because as much as I hate to admit it, it's fucking working!"

"What the fuck?" He exclaimed. "No. I'm not making you jealous. Why would I even try?"

Effy scoffed. "Like you don't fucking know."

"What are you even onto Effy?" Freddie scowled.

The brunette paused for a moment to stop herself from shaking. She took a deep breath before she spoke. "I like you alright?" She stated calmly. "I mean, really like you."

It took quite a while before Freddie could react, his hands flying to his forehead to rub his fingers against it while he thought of a way to sort things out. "Listen Ef." He paused as he placed a hand on Effy's shoulders. "I've, I've always seen you as a sister. And I'd like it to stay that way." He watched as the brunette's face slowly registered shock, making him squeeze her shoulders to calm her down. "Besides, you always have Naomi with you right?"

Effy's mouth fell wide open. "What?"

"Do you know how much she likes you?" He asked. "It's been pretty obvious, really."

"Then, it's about Naomi huh?" Effy replied after a long pause. "Because she likes me."

"Effy." Freddie called out, dragging the name a bit longer. "It's not just like that. I told you-" Freddie broke off. "Effy, Effy!" He yelled, running after the brunette who had just bolted out of the gazebo. "Effy wait!"

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily rolled her eyes, spotting Naomi seated at the bench. "What now Naomi?" She blurted out. "You're such a pain."

Naomi snorted. "I'm leaving and so are you, let's go." The blonde answered coldly, grabbing Emily by her wrist.

"Wait." Emily yanked her hand away from Naomi's grip. "I still have some stuff to finish."

"Stuff? What stuff?" Naomi scowled.

"Freddie. He's an editor and he's offering to review my work. So I'm not going to leave." The red head answered firmly.

"Fine." Naomi said, the words escaping between her clenched teeth. "I'm going to leave without you then."

"Go ahead." Emily snorted and replied smugly, before turning her back and heading towards the gazebo.

Naomi blew an aggravated breath and followed the red head's trail, her fingers curling into fists as she marched. Emily would always be equal to a fucking headache.

The red head scurried down the gazebo, her shoulders bumping against a fuming brunette. She stopped and turned around, planning to demand for some apology when she saw Freddie running after the other girl.

"Naomi!" She heard the brunette shout. Emily watched as the blonde come into an abrupt stop, Naomi's face expressionless. Her forehead turned into a crease, confused of the scene suddenly unfolding in front of her.

"Naomi." Effy called out again, stopping a fair inches away, as she came face to face with the blonde. "Do you like me?"

Freddie rushed towards Effy's side and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Effy, what the fuck are you doing?"

The brunette shoved Freddie's hands away from her. "Do you love me Naomi?" She yelled, confronting Naomi. "Tell me the truth!"

Naomi remained silent, her gaze fixed on Effy's face.

"Is it true then?" Effy shouted. "Why aren't you answering?"

Emily scurried to Naomi's side, somehow worried that the blonde might be involved into some kind of fight. She hovered around, her eyes flickering between Naomi and the brunette called Effy.

"Spit it out Naomi!" Effy shouted, making Emily flinch.

"Jesus! Effy stop this!" Freddie hissed, seeing that the little scene had now attracted a lot of unwanted attention.

Naomi could feel her jaw clenching tight, her nostrils flaring as she stared at Effy with unbelieving eyes. She could feel everybody's gaze turning towards them, everybody's ears waiting for her answer. Her head suddenly turned into one giant whirlpool of messed up thoughts, not knowing how or what to even reply. If there was one thing she could be sure of, she was not going to be embarrassed this way. No. Not tonight.

"What?" Effy yelled, struggling away from Freddie's grip. "Tell me then! Do you like me?"

"I like you." The blonde yelled back in between clenched teeth, words heavy. "I like you a lot." She paused as she closed her eyes. "Emily."

Without any single warning, Naomi grabbed Emily by the hand and pulled the red head towards her, startling Emily entirely. Naomi's own hands cupped Emily's cheeks, holding her head perfectly still as she leaned in and claimed the red head's lips into a kiss, both of them suddenly surrounded by thousands of blinding, flashing lights.


	9. The perfect solution

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 9

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **Naomi's solution when things are fucked up.

**A/N: **Hope you like this chap! :) Please review if you have time ^^

Emily found herself suddenly being hurled forward as a number of black suited men circled around her and Naomi, shoving away the mass of bodies surging towards them. She lifted her hand to hover over her eyes, blocking the blinding lights coming from the various cameras flashing as almost everybody around took pictures of her and the blonde. She nervously glanced at Naomi who was walking beside her, the blonde's face now once again expressionless, yet she could see well the clenching of Naomi's jaw. She averted her gaze and focused on her walking instead, steadying herself as she was being squeezed towards Naomi from time to time, not even bothering to speak a word about what just happened. She knew that the talking could be saved for later. She was actually scared of Naomi right now to be honest, with her impassive expressions and utter quietness. It was the very first time she'd seen her like that. It never occurred to her that Naomi could be so serious, so serious that it was rather frightening at some point.

Emily could hear the shouts and screams of different people, all of them asking the same set of questions.

"Naomi, is this another one of your scandals?"

"Is this for real Naomi?"

"Could you tell us about her Naomi?"

But none of them were ever answered as they were quickly pushed inside the momentary safety of the conference hall, where they would wait until they could be taken to Thomas' office, the black suited men quickly closing the huge doors to prevent anyone else from going inside.

Freddie threw his hands above his head as he watched the commotion be taken in front of the conference hall, the waiting reporters lurking by the doors with cameras in their hands. He blew out an aggravated breath before turning to the still shocked brunette. "See what you did?" He hissed sharply, breaking Effy from her daze. "Effy, how can you be so cruel?" He added accusingly. "Embarrassing Naomi like that?"

Effy could feel her breath shortening, the weight of Freddie's reproachful stare getting into her skin. Without any word, she walked out on him, throwing him one last apprehensive look before completely leaving. Freddie, on the other hand, shook his head in defeat, as he ran his fingers through his hair, still unable to believe how things had just become royally fucked up.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"I can't believe this." Thomas shouted exasperatedly as he slammed both his fists on the table, making Naomi flinch a bit. "I can't believe you've just outed yourself in front of the whole crowd." He covered his face with his hands, scrunching it altogether as he wearily dropped into his swivel chair. "What am I gonna do with you Naomi?" He blurted out, rubbing his temple with his fingers. "Because of your scandals, I've been stressed out. Doing damage control here and there." He slammed his fists again. "And now this? It's fucking tiring!"

Naomi shifted in her seat, propping on her elbow as he leaned her forehead against her fingers, her lips pressed in a tight line. She closed her eyes.

"Christ! Say something!" Thomas demanded.

The blonde took a long, deep breath and batted her eyes open, facing the still fuming Thomas. "Think on the bright side." She replied nonchalantly. "At least there won't be any more scandals." She quickly stood up and darted to the door, surprising Thomas entirely as she left without notice.

Emily, who was waiting outside the office, bolted up from her seat at the sight of Naomi scurrying down the hallway. She scrambled to her feet, following the blonde's suit.

"Naomi!" They heard Thomas shout but Naomi didn't bother to stop. "I'm setting up a press conference next week!" Emily turned and acknowledged Thomas' message before hurrying down the hallway as well.

The ride home was awfully quiet, Naomi was driving, jaw clenched tight as Emily could notice. She was throwing subtle sideway glances towards the blonde, gauging her mood, the fear still inside of her due to Naomi's grave expression. Naomi's eyes, on the other hand, were fixed on the road, her fingers wrapped around the steering wheel firmly, her whole body stiff even until they had arrived. The car skidded to a stop and they both stepped out, Naomi slamming the door hard. She walked inside straight up to her room, still without a word. Until finally, Emily couldn't stand the silence and she broke it.

"Naomi!" The red head called out, stopping the other girl from getting into her room.

"What now?" Naomi turned around, scowling.

Emily rushed towards her, stopping mere inches away from the blonde. "We need to talk." She demanded.

"About what?"

Emily snorted, a look of disbelief showing in her face. "About what?" She retorted angrily. "You're fucking asking me like you don't know what I'm talking about!" She shook her head disbelievingly. "Shouldn't you have something to say? Considering what happened at the party?"

Naomi placed her hands on her hips and fixed her eyes to the floor, the gravity of things slowly sinking in into her. She blew out one deep breath and closed her eyes, desperately trying to sort out her spinning thoughts. She was feeling so tired and Emily's constant badgering wasn't helping.

"Fuck's sake! Say something Naomi." Emily blurted out. "You can't just do things like that! You can't just do whatever you want." She glowered, feeling the anger build up at Naomi's unbroken silence.

The blonde tipped her head upwards and gnawed on her bottom lip. Bringing her gaze down, she stared at a frowning Emily and blew a weary breath. "Emily." She finally spoke. "You're gonna have to be my girlfriend."

"What?" Emily freaked out, backing a few steps away from Naomi. "Have you lost your mind?"

Naomi rolled her eyes. "I'm going to hire you as my girlfriend. You'll just have to pretend."

Emily snorted. "Are you crazy? Why would I even do that?" She spat back. "I don't like you and I can't stand you."

"What makes you think I like you either?" Naomi retorted, her eyes squinting.

"Then why are you even asking?" Emily replied, her lips quivering with anger, thinking that this was all a big fucking joke to the blonde.

"Three months Emily. I just need you to pretend for three fucking months." Naomi hissed.

Emily's nose scrunched up as she crossed her arms above her chest. "Are you on drugs?"

The blonde pressed her lips in a tight line. "I'm sick of all the scandals hanging around me." She stated after a short moment. "I'll pay you for it."

"You're totally out of your mind." Emily exclaimed in disbelief.

Naomi threw the red head a heated glare. "Do it and I'll give you back this house." She watched as she caught Emily off guard, the red head's eyes growing wide with surprise. "Think it over." She dismissed, slamming the door behind her as she stepped in towards her room, leaving Emily flabbergasted outside.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Inside the comfort of her own room, Naomi dropped her body straight to the bed, not even bothering to turn the lights on. She lifted her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose as she thought of the mess she had just gotten herself into. It was stupid, really. She could have just admitted it, straight to Effy's face that she liked her, that she fancied her for the longest time, yet she couldn't bring herself to. Not that way. Besides, she wasn't ready to tell her yet. She wasn't ready to risk her friendship with Effy. That was how much she meant to her. She couldn't stand losing her. Although, the way Effy confronted her wounded her pride so much. And her pride was one of the things that Naomi would never want anybody to mess with. So instead, she opted to save her face. She had to somehow show Effy that she just can't humiliate her like that. Can't treat her like that. And Emily was the closest solution she could think of on that particular moment.

She sat upright and shrugged her coat off, throwing it into the wall. She was far more angry than hurt, to be honest. Angry with Effy, for embarrassing her in front of the whole crowd, angry with Freddie for taking Effy away, although it wasn't his fault at all. Most of all, she was angry with herself for being so stupid, messing her life and her career up in just a short moment, like it could get anymore messier.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily slammed the document hard on the kitchen table, startling Naomi who was reading the morning paper, Naomi's cup of coffee shaking from the force. The blonde slowly dragged her eyes away from what she was reading, to the offending object that was now laid before her. She brought her gaze up, eyeing Emily with a look that was torn between uninterested and skeptical.

"If we're going to do this, we need a contract."

"Excuse me?" Naomi asked.

"We need to sign a contract so you can't bail out." Emily stated, a smug smirk curling up on her lips.

Naomi's eyebrow shot up as she tossed the newspaper to the side. "I've never bailed out on anything." She replied, not amused.

Emily leaned in, bringing her face closer to the blonde. "I just want to make sure." She drawled, the smirk still strongly evident.

Naomi snorted, rolling her eyes. "Whatever." She grabbed the pen Emily was holding and signed the paper, probably a little too heavy, her handwriting traced deeply.

The red head grinned and grabbed the piece of paper before turning around to march up towards her room.

"Oh, just so you know." Naomi suddenly called out, stopping Emily from her tracks. "If this arrangement's revealed to any other person, contract's null and void. You won't have the house back."

Emily peered over her shoulder, offering the blonde a challenged smile. "No problem." She watched as Naomi returned her smile with a feigned one and a roll of the eyes. She skipped happily towards her room and hid the contract inside her suitcase.

Three months and the house would be hers again. This was going to be easy.


	10. Cook and Katie's return

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 10

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **When Emily meets Cook and Katie again.

**A/N: **Here's the next chap! ^^ and you guys are just awesome. Seriously. Thanks for all the comments!

When the day of the press conference finally came, Emily had to endure almost two hours of make-over session. The designer in-charge kept changing the red head's outfit that Emily couldn't remember how many she had already tried on. If Naomi hadn't knocked and told them to hurry, the designer would've let her try on a hundred more. She felt like a Barbie doll being played with, the dresses just kept on coming. She then settled for a blue one, the hem of the dress hovering right above her knees. After putting the final make-up on, she was brought in front of a huge mirror, making her break into a wide smile as she saw her reflection. She looked oddly strange, but in a beautiful and flattering way. Or maybe she just wasn't used to seeing herself dressed like this. She then headed out, feeling smug and overly satisfied, and thanked the designer and the make-up artist before leaving. She spotted a scowling Naomi sitting on the couch backstage, with Pandora beside her, Naomi's foot tapping impatiently on the floor. She took a deep breath and walked towards the two, stopping a few inches away, her hands clasped behind her as she nervously bit her lip. She watched as Naomi stared at her with unbelieving yet appreciative eyes, the scowl the blonde was wearing earlier now long forgotten. A feeling of something pleasant yet unexplainable dropped to her stomach when she saw Naomi take a huge gulp, looking mesmerized all of a sudden.

"I look stupid." She spoke shyly, a sheepish smile pulling up in her lips. "Right?" She asked hesitantly.

It took a while before Naomi could respond. She even had to shake her head a bit to break her unexpected trance. "Since when didn't you look stupid?" Naomi blurted out, averting her gaze.

Emily's smile turned into a lopsided frown, her nose scrunching up as she stuck her tongue out.

"It's like a disguise." Naomi mumbled. "Hiding her true face."

"Why Naomi?" Panda asked. "I think she looks wicketastic!" She exclaimed, her voice up a notch with excitement.

"Thank you Panda." Emily offered a genuine smile, sticking her tongue out again once she met Naomi's eyes.

"Whatever." The blonde snorted and rolled her eyes. "Let's go." She stated, grabbing Emily by the hand as Pandora pushed the conference doors open. Naomi forced a smile into her lips as she led Emily inside, her fingers intertwining with the red head's, surprising Emily entirely. Emily could hear her breath hitch, the sounds of it thankfully drowned by the chit chattering of the reporters' mouths and the constant clicks of the cameras. The feel of Naomi's smooth hand along her palm sent a shudder down through her spine. She could feel her heart's irregular beating, that even when they had finally settled to their seats, the thudding was still awfully loud. She scolded herself though, for acting in such a way, albeit not denying the fact that Naomi had this unexplainable effect on her, ever since they had first met. She clasped her hands together and fidgeted with her fingers as she counted in her head, hoping that the frantic pounding would stop and return to normal.

"So you two first met on the plane, can you tell us about that?" Emily nervously glanced at Naomi who was still wearing that feigned smile, and listened to her while she articulated the answer.

"Yes, we did meet on the plane. She looked so nervous that I asked her if it was her first time." Naomi turned and faced Emily with a smile, which even if the red head knew it was forced, still sent her heart beating wildly. "She got really pissed off." The reporters all laughed as Naomi turned her gaze back to them.

"After so many years in the industry, why come out just now?" Another one asked.

The blonde took a deep breath before answering. "Because I don't want Emily to be my dirty little secret." She paused, glancing at the red head beside her, who was taking a sip of her drink. "She means the world to me." Emily almost choked on the water she was drinking upon hearing Naomi's words, bringing her into a fit of coughs. She forced herself to smile widely after she had recovered, her heart beating loudly like it wanted to break loose from her chest.

"It's said that you two are living together. Is it true?"

"Erm, yes we are." The blonde replied. "But it's not really living together. It's just that she's got personal problems and she has nowhere to stay. So I offered her to stay at my house for the meantime."

"How long have you known each other then?"

"A pretty long while."

"This question goes to Emily." A man raised his hand. "For a woman who's adored by thousands of people all over the world, what do you think makes you different from all of them?"

"Erm, I don't think I really know." Emily answered uncertainly.

"She probably doesn't know." It was Naomi. "How lovable she is." Emily turned and met Naomi's eyes, her own eyes circling wide while Naomi just smiled in return. The blonde was just so good at this. "She's the best."

"Any plans after this?" A woman asked. "I mean, after all those scandals, surely you'd want to have a break?"

"Emily and I were actually planning to go to a trip maybe a week or two from now." Naomi quickly answered while the red head just smiled, going with the flow of the conference.

"Can you tell us where?"

Naomi let out a small laugh. "We're choosing between Barcelona or Venice, or maybe both." She shrugged. "Right Em?"

Emily's mouth fell ajar at her newfound nickname, taking her completely aback. She just nodded in agreement, unable to form coherent words to say. Fuck, she wasn't even able to utter a mere 'yes'. She watched as Naomi smiled once again at her, still oblivious to the effects her smile was giving to Emily. As Naomi turned her gaze back to the audience, the red head found herself counting the minutes that were passing by, hoping that the conference would just soon be over.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

The incessant ringing of the doorbell interrupted Emily's deep concentration on scrubbing the stain off of the floor. She tossed the rug on the basin in irritation as she sprang up to get the door. Wiping her hands on her apron, she twisted the knob, the sight of the unexpected visitors sending her into a sudden fit of rage.

"Emily." Cook greeted with a grin, offering a bouquet of roses to the red head. Behind him was Katie, with a cautious smile on her face. She took the flowers. "Aren't you gonna let us in?" He spoke, shoving Emily to the side as he stepped inside with Katie following him, unable to meet her twin's detesting gaze. "Wow, this place has changed." Cook marveled, his eyes wandering around while Katie gripped his shirt tight.

Emily, in turn, just followed the two, her whole body shaking with fury. She could feel her lips quivering and her teeth gnashing, hating Cook for acting like he had done nothing foolish. She was aware of the worried and apologetic glares Katie was throwing her, but her eyes were fixed on Cook, particularly on that devil's grin he was wearing, desperately wanting to wipe it off permanently from his face.

"I think a proper congratulation is in order." Cook wiped his hand against his shirt before extending it for Emily to shake. "You got a looker there Ems. And she's fucking rich!"

That was the last straw.

The only color Emily could see was red, the devil's color.

She screamed and launched herself towards Cook, hitting him with the bouquet she was holding over and over, sending the petals flying everywhere. Cook tried to shield himself with his arms but Emily let out a punch, her fist connecting to Cook's belly. His face twisted into a painful expression, his one arm clutching his stomach while the other shielded his face from Emily's continuous hits. The poor bouquet was now empty of petals, leaving the leaves and a few thorns. Katie yanked Emily away, shoving her to the side, but this didn't stop the younger twin and she charged towards Cook again, carefully pushing her sister away as Katie tried to get in between her and Cook.

"Fuck's sake Emily! Get a grip!" Katie's scream broke Emily's fit, lowering down the abused flower bouquet. She found herself gasping for breath as she eyed a now wounded Cook, his face and arms full of scratches and cuts. She somehow felt proud, giving herself a pat on the back for a job well done, seeing Cook's bobbled state. An incognizant triumphant smile fell on her lips. She watched as Katie helped Cook to sit on the couch, her sister checking the wounds she had successfully inflicted.

"Are you alright?" Katie worriedly asked, making Emily snort in disbelief. The younger twin rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What the fuck do you want?" Emily shouted harshly, her words directed towards Cook. "Why are you here?"

"We came to check up on you." It was Katie who answered.

"Check up on me?" Emily retorted. "Fuck's sake Katie! I've been calling you for ages but you weren't picking up! Now you're saying you two are here to check up on me?" She shouted, making the older twin flinch. "Don't be fucking ridiculous."

"Emily." Cook called out. "Don't be like that to Katie. You know she's pregnant yeah?"

"I fucking know!" Emily bellowed. "Now why are you really here?"

"We came here to apologize." Cook humbly spoke, not meeting Emily's eyes. "And borrow some money."

A look of disbelief crawled up on Emily's face. "I knew it." She stated between clenched teeth. "I fucking knew it!" She spat. "What the fuck happened to the money you got from selling this house?" She shouted in frustration. "My fucking house!"

Cook fixed his gaze on the floor as he took Katie's hand and interlaced their fingers. "I tried to gamble with it, so I could double the money but I ended up losing." He whispered, embarrassed of himself. "Now we need some money to pay for the rent and Katie's check-ups."

"What?" She exclaimed. "You fucking twat!" She drawled out, throwing her shoe at Cook. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"I know. And I'm really sorry yeah?"

Emily could feel her whole body shaking again. She had that sudden strong urge to strangle Cook's neck and kill him right then and there. "I don't have any money." She replied coldly.

"What about Naomi?" Cook asked, hopeful.

"She's not gonna lend you any money." She retorted. "And I won't let her lend you any money."

"But Emily, she's fucking rich. She's got plenty."

"And she's working hard for it!" She screamed back. "If you need money, get a fucking job!"

"But Em-"

"Out!"

"What?" It was Katie.

"Get the fuck out of my house!" She shouted in anger and frustration, her forefinger pointing to the front door. "Out!" Emily's voice roared.

Katie stood up and tugged on Cook's hand, beckoning him to rise from his seat. She threw one last apologetic look to the younger twin before darting straight outside the house. Emily, let out a loud scream as soon as the couple were gone, her whole body trembling with indescribable fury and rage. She took several deep breaths to calm herself down and flexed her fingers as they've been balled into fists almost the whole time. Heading to the kitchen when she had finally managed to compose herself, she decided to make lunch. She hadn't been long in the counter when the doorbell rang again. Feeling the anger rise up above her head once more at the thought of Cook and Katie coming back, she dashed to get the door and shouted. "Who the fuck is it?" Upon getting no answer, she opened the door and was welcomed by a well uniformed chauffeur instead.

"Are you Miss Emily Fitch?" The chauffeur asked.

Emily nodded, blushing a bit upon realizing what she had shouted earlier. "I am. Why?"

"Good day. I'm Clark." He introduced himself. "Would you come with me please? Madame would like to meet you today."

Emily's forehead folded into a crease. "I'm sorry." She muttered hesitantly. "But who's this Madame we are talking about?"

Clark offered a friendly smile. "You'll meet her if you come with me."

"Erm, I actually don't trust strangers that easily." She replied.

"Don't worry. Miss Campbell knows Madame very well." He answered. "If you want, you could leave her a note saying that you'll be at Madame's place. She'll know right away."

Emily paused for a moment, deciding whether to trust Clark or not. By the looks of him, he could be trusted, but then looks could always be deceiving. She gnawed on her bottom lip as she watched Clark patiently waiting for her with a friendly smile on his face, her gaze then falling on the black limousine parked right in front of the gate. "You drive that?" She couldn't help but ask, her eyes circling wide at the sight.

"Yes." Clark let out a chuckle. "Miss Emily, would you come with me please? Madame wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Erm, okay." She answered. "I'll just leave a note for Naomi. Could you hang on a sec?"

Clark smiled. "No worries. Take your time."

Emily scurried inside the house, sticking a note on the fridge for Naomi. She took off the apron and hurried upstairs to change, smoothing her hair a bit. She ran down the stairs and slipped on a different pair of shoes, meeting Clark outside the door. She got escorted to the limousine and stepped in, her mind still wondering who that Madame is.


	11. Madame

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 11

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **Meeting Madame.

**A/N: **I wanted to show Naomi's dad in a different light, not the shitty little prick he used to be. Hope you like this. ^^

Naomi's brow shot up at once upon witnessing the current state of her house. She slowly walked in, kicking the scattered rose petals that were getting on her way. She roamed her eyes around, her lips quivering with irritation at the sight of the chaotic living room. The mop was lying on the floor, the rug dangling on the rim of the basin, dripping. The couch seemed to have been moved from its place, as well as the center table. She blew an aggravated breath, pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt her temper nearly erupting.

"Emily!" She yelled.

Hearing nothing, aside from her echoes that reverberated inside the house, she went to check the kitchen, her teeth gritting when she saw the pile of unwashed plates from breakfast over the sink. She ran her fingers through her hair and tossed her purse on the counter. She could feel a fucking headache coming. She grabbed a glass from the cupboard and walked over to the fridge, her eyes spotting the note that was stuck in there.

_Naomi,_

_Going out. Clark came. He says Madame needs to see me. Be back later._

_Em xxx_

She read the note out loud while her squinting eyes worked out the messy, scribbled handwriting, guessing that Emily must have been in a hurry. She quickly fished her mobile from her pocket and phoned the red head.

"Hello."

"Why is the house a fucking mess?" She blurted out a little too loud.

"Why yell?" Emily spat back on the other line. "I'll clean it as soon as I come back yeah?"

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Are you there yet?"

"Where?"

"The house."

"House? Whose house?" Emily asked, confused. "Who exactly is Madame?"

Naomi took a deep breath as her fingers flew to massage her forehead. "My mum."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily smoothed her skirt as she stood in front of the huge wooden door, while Clark rang the doorbell. He offered her a warm smile, seeing the nervousness in her brown eyes. She threw him back a thankful smile, jumping a little as the door swung open suddenly. Revealing an elegant living room, her eyes marveled around, huge smiles falling on her lips at the sight of the many classic paintings hung on the wall. From the looks of the enormous house, she could guess that Naomi came from a very prominent family. This house though looked nothing like what the blonde preferred. It exuded elegance and antiquity, unlike Naomi's that was more of stylish and modernized instead. If there would be one similarity, it was that both this house and the blonde's were full of paintings. She slowly walked inside, eventually stopping to admire some of the paintings, like she was in a museum rather than a house, her eyes circling in awe at the beauty of the art works, some of them abstract, others themed. One particular painting caught her attention. A blonde little girl sitting on top of a black piano, her gaze fixed on the man who seemed to be pressing the keys. Emily moved closer, studying the art work carefully, an incognizant smile shaping in her lips as she felt some of the emotions portrayed by the painting. She lifted her hand, unable to contain herself and touched the precious painting.

"You like that painting love?" She jumped, turning around quickly at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. A middle aged looking woman with a warm smile greeted her. "I suppose you're Emily?"

The red head sheepishly nodded, already knowing that this was Naomi's mother. She could see a strike of resemblance between them, the blonde hair to name one. They had the same form of smile and the way their eyes squint whenever they beam were almost the same. It was like she was standing in front of an older version of Naomi, except that the younger Campbell was taller. Although she noticed that the older Campbell's eyes were of a different color. Hers was a light shade of green.

"I think that you probably now have an idea about who I am." The older woman said. "I'm Gina."

"Y-you're Naomi's mum right?"Emily stuttered nervously.

"Well yes, but you can call me Gina. Would you like a cup of tea?"

Emily nodded and followed Gina as they settled on the couch. She watched as the older woman called another lady and asked for two cups of tea, her heart beating faster as Gina turned and faced her.

"You should relax dear. I'm not going to bite." Gina said, placing her hand comfortingly on Emily's knees.

The red head blew out her breath that she'd been holding on since she came face to face with the older woman, a timid smile shaping on her lips as she relaxed a little.

"You must be wondering why I invited you here." Gina continued. "I've been wanting to meet you personally and I couldn't wait any longer. I must say the telly didn't lie. Indeed, such a beauty."

"Thanks." Emily muttered, feeling the hotness on her cheeks spread like fire as she started to blush. "It's alright to you that I'm a girl?" She couldn't help but ask.

"I just want my daughter to be happy, regardless of whom she chooses." Gina replied, giving the red head's knee a gentle squeeze. "She's been so alone for such a long time. I wouldn't even mind if it's somebody who grew out a third eye and tentacles." She chuckled.

Emily let out a soft laugh at Gina's words, making her relax entirely. She liked this woman, which made her wonder why Naomi wasn't as gentle as her.

"My daughter could be a bit of a twat at times though." The older woman said, pausing for a moment as tea came and she handed one to the read head. "I hope you could keep up with that. Please don't give up on her."

Emily nearly spluttered the hot tea she had just sipped from the cup upon hearing Gina's words. It took her off guard that the tea burned her throat and tongue as she tried to swallow quickly. "I'm kind of used to it." She replied, voice huskier than before because of the burning trail left by the tea. "It isn't that bad, really." She smiled and placed the cup on top of the table.

Gina smiled back, thankful. "I take it you like paintings?"

"Pretty much. I admire painters to be honest. They're just so good." Emily answered. "I can't even draw a stick figure straight."

The older woman laughed. "Some of us just weren't born to draw. Like me for instance."

"So you collect them instead?"

"Yes." Gina answered gleefully. "That painting you were looking at earlier is Naomi's favorite."

"It's a really nice painting. It's like, it's got lots of emotions in it."

"It was drawn by my late husband." The older woman replied with a sad smile.

"Oh, sorry." Emily answered apologetically.

"No worries love." Gina shuffled in her seat. "My husband was a painter. Most of the artworks you see here were his creations."

Emily's eyes grew wide with amusement. "Really? He must be very good then. These paintings are just amazing."

"Thank you." Gina beamed at her. "Did you know that Naomi-"

"Mum! Mum!" The older woman was cut off with Naomi scurrying in front of them.

"Naomi, it's nice to see you in here." Gina greeted instead. "We were just talking about you."

"I told you I'll introduce her to you right?" Naomi scowled. "Why did you have to drag her here?"

"I just wanted to meet her sooner. Since you're here already, why not stay for dinner."

"No mum. We're not staying." Naomi retorted. "Come on Emily."

The red head's gaze flickered from Naomi's irritated expression to Gina's disappointed face. She wanted to stay, to somehow please the older woman who had been nothing but nice to her.

"I said let's go Emily." Naomi cried out, even before Emily had made her own decision.

Emily shuffled to her seat and threw Gina an apologetic look. "I'll say bye for now. It was really nice meeting you." She felt her wrist being grabbed by Naomi's forceful hands, dragging her outside of the house. She peered over her shoulder and mouthed "See you soon." to the older woman before yanking her hand away from the blonde.

"Let go of me." The red head demanded. "What the fuck is your problem Naomi?"

The blonde didn't say a word and let go of Emily's hand as she made her way to the driver's seat of her car. She waited for the red head to hop in before flooring her Ferrari down the road.

Silence fell, which lasted for almost half of the trip on their way back home.

"What did my mother tell you?"

"Why are you being so hard on her?" Emily asked back, ignoring the blonde's question. "She's a really nice woman."

"She's a complete cow." Naomi spat.

"Like you aren't." Emily retorted. "If there's somebody being a cow it's you."

"What?"

"You should be nice to your mum. She's just concerned about you."

"Shut up." The blonde replied. Cold.

"Be nice or you'll regret it later." Emily continued. "You're lucky you still have a mum to take care of you."

"I told you to shut up right?" Naomi spoke between clenched teeth, her gaze flickering between Emily and the road.

"Listen when people are talking and don't just get mad!"

"What the fuck?" Naomi blurted out as she slammed her hand on the steering wheel. "What's with all these fucking advices? You're suddenly some wise woman or shit like that?"

"You should learn to take other's advice. There's a good reason why they give you one." Emily snapped. "Don't just listen to yourself and stop acting like a fucking twat."

Naomi's grip on the wheel tightened, her jaw clenching hard. She could feel her anger rising above her head. "I'm not in the fucking mood Emily."

"So you're the only one who has the right to be pissed off then?"

Finally losing her temper, Naomi suddenly wheeled the car further left, narrowly missing two cars that she had crossed, their angry honks filling the air. She skidded into a stop, not even bothered by the fact that they were on the main road. "Get out." She blurted out, throwing the red head a heated glare.

"What?" Emily snapped back, a look of utter disbelief showing in her face.

"You can babble by yourself all you want."

Emily could feel her teeth gritting against each other as she eyed Naomi with aversion. She unbuckled her seatbelt and marched out of the car, slamming the door shut as hard as she could. She watched as Naomi's car sped off without her, before letting out a strangled scream, her hands flailing in the air, her fingers curled into fists. It was still a long walk until the next bus stop and another long walk on her way to her house. She blew an exasperated breath, her lips quivering, and started the death march she was faced with.

As Naomi drove, she couldn't help but glance on the rear view mirror, the side mirrors as well, to check up on the red head she left on the road. She could see Emily slowly walking on the pavement until she finally disappeared completely from her sight. She ran her fingers through her hair, her jaw still clenched tight, when she finally decided to stop driving further. Taking a U-turn, she drove the car back to where she thought Emily could possibly be, only to find the pavement empty. She stepped out of the car and roamed her eyes around, searching for the red head. She looked for a good few minutes until she gave up, somehow convincing herself that it's Emily's fault that she got thrown out. If only she had shut up like Naomi wanted her to, there wouldn't be a problem. The blonde then went back to her car and drove straight home.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi glanced at her wristwatch and saw that it was almost eleven in the evening, yet Emily still wasn't home. Growing a bit worried, as much as she tried to deny it, she grabbed her jacket and ran down stairs onto the porch, looking for any signs of the red head. She paced back and forth as she waited, her eyes spotting the budding garden that she had never noticed before, or maybe she was just too busy to look around. She walked over and stooped down, her fingers tracing the blooming petals of the various kinds of flowers planted in there, an incognizant smile pulling up in her lips. She was hardly a fan of flowers, but these were just so beautiful. Her reverie was broken when she heard footsteps nearing, her eyes eventually spotting Emily who was almost limping, shoulders slumped down, looking all weary. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted inside that she almost slipped, although she managed to steady herself, and bolted in into her room. She leaned against the door as she caught her breath, dropping her body on the bed only after she had heard the door on Emily's room slam shut. She shuffled on her bed and shrugged out of her jacket, happy that she could finally go to sleep. Although she slept with an unexplainable guilt feeling that she somehow feels the need to make up to.


	12. Girlfriend's surprise

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 12

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **How could one person possibly have mood swings as much as Naomi had?

**A/N: **Next chap ^^ Hope you all like it. Comments and reviews would greatly be appreciated.

Emily woke up with a very sullen mood and feet that were fucking aching from all the walk she had done last night. She slowly sat upright and stooped a tad bit to reach for her legs, massaging them gently as she let out a soft groan. She glanced at the wall clock and found that it was way past seven in the morning, quite wondering why Naomi hadn't badgered her to wake up and make breakfast. Though Emily felt her anger fueling again at the thought of the blonde's name, remembering what she did to her last night.

"Serves her right." She murmured to herself. "I won't make any dinner for her either."

She slowly stood up, wincing a little at the sudden surge of ache rushing through the muscles on both her legs. She was pretty sure she'd have a hard time cleaning today. She walked over to her bedside table, which was fairly ironic because she had no bed just a sleeping bag, spotting a white envelope on top. Emily grabbed the envelope and opened it, revealing a plane ticket and a folded note. She took the note and unfolded it as she read the scribbled letters out loud.

_Em,_

_We're leaving tomorrow so pack your bags by tonight._

_xx_

The note had no name of the sender, yet she knew right away from who it was. Wouldn't take a genius to work it out. She placed the note back to the envelope and took out the plane ticket, her eyes circling wide when she saw where they were heading to.

Barcelona, Spain.

Oh my God.

Emily had to stifle her squeal as she clutched the ticket on her hand, her excitement overwhelming her thoughts. Barcelona had always been a blinking dream to her. She pursed her lips and folded her arms over her chest, thinking. She needed to get a grip and constantly reminded herself that she was still mad at Naomi, angry about what she did to her. That was definitely unforgivable. She carefully placed the ticket back and hid the envelope on the drawer, almost running down stairs at the sound of the doorbell ringing, if only her legs weren't badly aching. She opened the door and was greeted by three girls, who appeared to be house cleaners, and Clark.

"Good morning Miss Emily."

"Erm, hey Clark." She greeted back. "Am I up to visit Gina today?"

Clark let out a small chuckle. "No. But I'm here to drive for you."

Emily's forehead folded in a crease. "Drive for me?" She asked in confusion. "Where?"

"To the spa."

"Spa?" Emily blurted out. "But I'm not going to the spa."

"Naomi told me you were. Apparently, you're scheduled to be there at around nine." Clark answered with a smile and glanced at his wristwatch.

"But, but I'm supposed to be cleaning the house."

"They'd be doing the cleaning." The chauffeur motioned to the three ladies standing beside him.

"Erm, right." She replied, scratching her head. She opened the door widely to let the four in and led them to the couch. "Would you like something to drink?"

Clark shook his head. "Don't mind us. I'll just wait for you here until you're ready."

Emily answered with a nod and headed upstairs to clean up and prepare. She slid under the showers, the warm water instantaneously soothing her as they spattered against her skin. She could feel the throbbing muscles on her legs calm a little under the warmness that was filling her whole body. It felt so relaxing that she would've opted to stay in the shower for a much longer time, if only it didn't cross her mind that someone was waiting for her downstairs. Grabbing the towel, she wrapped it around her and ran to her room to get dressed and fix her hair. It took her a good forty minutes to finish, running down the stairs as soon as she was done.

"Oh, you're ready then." Clark said and he stood up.

Emily nodded sheepishly, feeling a little shy for making the good man wait. In turn, Clark offered his friendly smile and escorted the red head to the limousine, driving away to head to the spa. Upon arriving, Emily was quickly ushered by the female attendants, having been asked for her name.

"Would you like to tell your chauffer to come back instead of waiting for you?" One of the attendants asked.

"Why?" The red head replied.

"Because you were scheduled for almost every service the spa could offer. It might take you the whole day."

Emily's mouth flew open. "I was?"

The attendant nodded. "I take it you didn't know?"

"Erm, yeah. I kind of had no idea."

"Well, this might be a surprise from your girlfriend then." The kind attendant replied, smiling wide.

Emily bit her lip, lowering her head a little as she tried to hide the sudden blush that was spreading across her cheeks. Yet, she could feel herself smiling. Sometimes, she just couldn't get Naomi.

What a nice way to make up though.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

It was nearly six in the evening by the time Emily had gotten home, seemingly pleased with the relaxing feeling the spa treatment had given to her. On her way to her room, she spotted Naomi, lazily sitting on the couch and constantly flicking on the channels like she wasn't really into what she was watching. She bit her lip, stifling the grin that she had been wearing.

"Had dinner yet?" She called out.

Naomi turned her head and looked at Emily. "No." She replied nonchalantly.

"I'll just go get changed and then I'll make dinner."

"Yeah, whatever."

Emily huffed and rolled her eyes as she went upstairs, thinking how could one person possibly have mood swings as much as Naomi had. That's just weird. Maybe Naomi had some kind of disorder or something. She laughed at the thought, which didn't really seem impossible to happen, at least for her. After changing into a pair of boy shorts and a loose shirt, she hurried back and busied herself in the kitchen.

"What do you wanna eat?" She asked, her head popping out from the threshold.

"Anything." Naomi replied, eyes glued to the telly. "S'long as its edible."

Emily chuffed out, looking like a fish as her mouth opened and closed. "Who gives an answer like that?" She mumbled to herself as she rummaged on the fridge, searching for something good to eat. "Fuck's sake." She blurted out. "Naomi!"

"What now?" The blonde answered from the living room.

"Could you just call for pizza delivery or something? We're out of anything good." Emily heard no reply. She rolled her eyes and popped her head out of the threshold once more, a smile crawling in her lips upon seeing Naomi dialing on the phone. She headed over the living room and dropped herself on the couch beside the blonde.

"What did you order then?" She asked as soon as Naomi hung up.

"Pizza."

Okay, Naomi wasn't up for small talks. "Hey, thanks for the spa treatment today." She replied instead.

"It's nothing." Naomi answered nonchalantly.

Yep, not up for small talks. Emily busied herself on the telly instead while they both waited for the pizza to arrive.

"Got your bags ready then?" It was Naomi. Well, that was a first.

"Shit." The red head blurted out, her eyes circling wide. "Not yet." She sprang up to her feet and was quickly leaving when she felt a strong tug on her hand, which sent her sitting back on the couch. She turned her head and eyed her wrist, Naomi's fingers circled around it.

"Packing's done." Naomi stated.

"How?"

"I asked somebody to pack for you. Figured you might come home late."

"Oh, right." Emily replied. "Thanks."

Disorder theory, plus ten points.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Barcelona was indescribable, even at night.

The first time she laid her eyes on the city, and that was when she was still inside the first class plane, Emily had wanted to scream. If only Naomi hadn't been giving her a look that said "don't fucking embarrass me", she would've probably done it. Maybe, she would've done something more, like running around the plane with hands in the air and screaming like crazy. That's how excited she was. Yet, instead, she just bounced on her seat, letting out strangled squeals and giggles as she waited for the plane to come to a full stop.

"Jesus Emily!" Naomi hissed. "Stop bouncing yeah?"

"I can't help it." She replied. "I'm excited."

Naomi covered her face with her hand and let out a soft groan. They weren't even there yet. What more if Emily saw the places they were supposed to be going to?

Dear lord.

She might need to bring a straight jacket along with her, for the red head's sake.

Emily quickly unbuckled her safety belt as soon as the plane had taken its full stop, bolting straight up from her seat to retrieve her bag from the cabin. As she got to the aisle, she felt a smooth hand slipping alongside hers, their fingers intertwining together. She snapped her head up, her puzzled eyes falling on Naomi who was standing beside her. As if she was able to read the question from the red head's gaze, Naomi lifted her free hand and pointed past the plane windows and to the airport's glass walls. Emily turned to see and snorted out loud at the sight of the flock of people with cameras in their hands, whom she guessed were reporters nonetheless, seemingly waiting for their arrival. That moment, she understood why Naomi held her hand, not that she was hoping for another reason. (She was kind of hoping, but utter denial of that thought was involved.) She tried not to flinch as she felt that familiar sensation Naomi's touch was giving her ran down through her spine. They both took deep breaths at the same time, preparing themselves as if they were going inside a lion's den rather than the airport.

Dazzling lights was what welcomed the two girls once they got in, something that Emily still wasn't used to. The constant click of cameras were starting to sound annoying to her ears, as well as the same set of questions thrown at them as they passed by. This led her to wondering if Naomi thought the same, and somehow felt a trifle of compassion towards the blonde, seeing how hard it is for her to deal with the limelight.

"Don't forget to smile." Naomi's hot breath against her ear broke Emily's reverie. "You're supposed to look happy."

It took Emily seconds before she could process what Naomi was saying, the feel of the blonde's hot breath lingering in her skin. She took a swallow before forcing herself to smile. This would take some getting used to.

If this was what was waiting for them in Spain, how the fuck was Emily supposed to enjoy? But then maybe, she just spoke too soon.


	13. Barcelona

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 13

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **Barcelona is full of awesome!

**A/N: **Lily has a twitter! YEAH!!! lol Enjoy this chap! ^^ Comments and reviews are always welcome!

"Just one bed?" Emily exclaimed, her brow shooting up as she eyed the wide bed lying on the middle of the room. She stepped outside and checked around the whole house that Naomi had rented for them, to see for herself, scowling later on as she failed to find another bed.

"Yeah, why? Problem?" Naomi answered, grinning like an idiot, obviously to piss the red head off.

"You mean we're going to share?"

Naomi, with a sly grin curling up in her lips, stood up from the bed and slowly walked towards Emily, who in turn stepped backwards until she felt her back leaning against the wall. Naomi rested her long slender hands upon the wall, on both sides of Emily, caging her in. She leaned in slowly, the sly grin still present, stopping a fair distance away from Emily's lips. She struggled to keep a straight face when she saw the red head cringing away from her. She bent down, blowing softly on Emily's ear.

"Actually, you're sleeping on the couch." She whispered teasingly, before withdrawing her hands from the wall. "Right. Off you go." She cried out as she spun Emily around and pushed her out of the room.

It took the red head quite a while before things had sunk in into her. She had to wait for her heart to return back to its normal beating, having been that close to Naomi, the feel of Naomi's hot breath once again lingering in her skin. She could feel her breath hitching, as she tried to catch up with them. She inhaled deeply to calm herself and her thoughts that had seemingly been turned into a complete mess. Only then, she finally realized that she was thrown out of the room and was to sleep at the couch. Fucking hell.

"Naomi!" She furiously marched towards the room, knocking out loud.

"What the fuck is with you and doors?" The blonde retorted upon opening. "You keep on banging them."

"Why the fuck am I sleeping on the couch?" Emily spat back.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Because I'm not used to share beds with anyone." She answered, slamming the door shut.

"Naomi!" The red head banged again.

The blonde opened the door once more, only to throw out a pillow and a thick blanket before grinning sarcastically and shutting the door.

All Emily could do was let out a strangled scream, her hands flailing in the air with utter annoyance and deep loathing.

"Bitch." She shouted out loud, making sure that Naomi would hear, before she picked up the pillow and the blanket, settling on the couch as she waited for herself to drift to sleep.

Barcelona with Naomi in it suddenly seemed to be more of a nightmare rather than a dream.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

The one thing that Emily was thankful of, ever since arriving at this foreign country, was that she didn't need to prepare breakfast. Though, as much as she wanted to wake up later than she had gotten used to, Naomi had already badgered her to get up.

"Oi!" She heard Naomi call out, nudging her gently. "Breakfast would be cold."

She shoved Naomi's hand and covered herself with her blanket but the blonde pulled it away.

"Get up yeah?" Naomi said. "We've got lots of things to do."

"What? Am I supposed to clean this house too?" Emily spat back as she rose from the couch, irritated.

"Now that you've mentioned it, that seems to be like a nice idea."

Emily threw a heated glare towards the grinning Naomi, before shoving the blonde away from her path and heading towards the breakfast table.

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed eh?" Naomi bit her lip to stifle a grin. "Oh right, no bed. I meant, woke up on the wrong side of the couch?"

"Who wouldn't have a bad day when the first thing they see is you?" The red head spat back.

Naomi, who sat opposite Emily, roared with laughter, irritating her further.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You got sex hair."

Emily's eyes grew wide, dropping the spoon she was holding. She quickly stood up and checked herself in the mirror, her teeth gnashing together when she found out that Naomi was lying. She marched back to the table, her nostrils flaring, which sent the blonde into another fit of hysterical laughter.

It was Emily's turn to howl with laughter when Naomi choked on what she was chewing while she was laughing at the red head, the blonde turning bright red from coughing.

Disorder theory, plus one hundred points.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily's eyes grew wide in horror at the sight of two bicycles standing on the porch of their rented house.

"What's that?"

"Erm, a bike?" Naomi replied sarcastically. "Would you like me to explain to you what a bike is?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "I bloody know it's a bike yeah?" She retorted. "But what's it for? Are we going bike riding?"

"Yeah."

"Can't we just walk?"

"It's a long way to Guell park from here." Naomi answered. "Besides, it's faster."

"But-" Emily protested, gnawing on her bottom lip.

"But what?"

"I don't know how to ride a bike." The red head answered sheepishly.

Naomi buried her face in her palm and let out a soft groan. "Jesus." She cursed under her breath. "Right, I'll teach you."

The blonde took the other bike outside the empty street and beckoned Emily to hop on it. "I'll guide you okay? You go pedal slowly." She watched as the red head nodded nervously. She held onto the back part of the bike, which served as another seat, steadying Emily as she placed her feet on the pedals. "Go Em. Slowly yeah?"

Emily blew out a nervous breath, basking on the sound of her given nickname (as much as she ignored the feeling), as she started to step on the pedal. She was feeling so tensed that the bike wobbled and tilted, causing her to lose her balance and she almost fell, if only Naomi wasn't supporting her behind.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Again Em." She called out. "And try not to be so damn tensed. Christ, it's not like you're going to die from this!"

The red head turned to face Naomi, frowning at her. "I'm not fit to ride bikes." She blurted out.

"That's ridiculous. Everybody can learn how to ride." Naomi replied. "Now stop being a stupid cow and try to learn yeah?"

"I'm no stupid cow!"

"Then prove it!"

Throwing one last heated glare, Emily turned around and stepped on the pedal too hard that the bike jerked forward, dragging Naomi along with it.

"Fuck Em!" Naomi scowled. "Be careful will you?"

Emily in turn poked her tongue out. Concentrating hard, she pedaled slowly, but the bike kept on wobbling that she ended up falling on the floor, her knee hitting the ground, making a huge bleeding scratch against the skin. She shuffled, so that she was sitting down, blowing some air on the wound that was beginning to sting.

"Fuck's sake!" Naomi yelled. "You can't even ride a bloody bike!" She crouched down, eyeing the red head with a reproachful stare. "Let me see." She reached for Emily's knee but the red head shoved her hand away. She snorted out loud when she saw silent tears flowing from Emily's eyes. "Why the fuck are you crying?"

"Why are you being so mean?"

"Mean?" The blonde blurted out. "I'm not mean."

"Just leave me alone." Emily spat back, more tears falling.

Naomi lifted her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Stop crying. I'll buy you some ice cream."

"Ice cream? You think I'm a little kid?"

"Then stop acting like one." The blonde retorted, earning another heated glare from Emily. "Stay there. I'll just go get some band-aid." She stood up quickly, before the red head could even utter another word.

Emily wiped her tears with her sleeves, pouting while she blew some air at the wound. Alright, maybe she was acting a bit childish, but it's because Naomi was being so mean.

The blonde got back not long after, carrying with her a pack of band-aids, some cotton and a bottle of anti-septic. She crouched down in front of Emily and pulled the red head's knee closer to her, a smirk curling up on the corner of her lips. She poured a small amount of anti-septic on the cotton and dabbed it lightly over the wound, blowing some air into it to dry quickly. A few dabs more and then she placed the band-aid over the wound. "There." She muttered. "All done." She reached out and wiped the remaining tears from Emily's cheeks. "Stop crying. I won't force you to ride for now."

Emily continued to pout, making it hard for Naomi to contain her laughter. She was utterly tempted to fish her phone out and take a picture, so she could have something to laugh about and tease Emily with. "Let's go yeah?" She held her hand out for the red head to take.

They both fell in silence as Naomi patiently waited for Emily to take her hand. "I'll buy you ice cream, I swear." The blonde spoke gently. "And balloons if you want."

Emily broke into a soft chuckle and finally took Naomi's hand with a sheepish smile. The blonde led her to the bicycle, letting Emily sit on the provided seat on the back of the bike, just above the wheel. "Hold on." Naomi turned and smiled at Emily before pedaling, as the red head circled her hands around Naomi's waist.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

They walked around the park laughing at the most random things they could find, basking at the cool feeling the ice creams offer while strolling under the hot Barcelona sun. It was so much fun just being like this, especially for Naomi who seldom felt what it's like to be not famous. In a foreign country like Spain, with almost no one recognizing her and even if there were, they were only a few, it felt good, it felt normal. She took a long deep breath, inhaling the warm scent of the streets of Barcelona, and smiled. She felt free.

"Can you buy me another ice cream?" Emily muttered, breaking Naomi's reverie.

"Another?" The blonde exclaimed. "But you've eaten three already."

"So?"

"So you'll get a toothache." Naomi replied. "I won't buy you another."

Emily frowned, her lips pursing "But you promised to buy me ice cream!"

"And I did." Naomi hissed. "Now stop complaining yeah?"

"Excuse me." Both girls turned.

"You're Naomi Campbell right?" A tall young man stood in front of them, holding a camera. Next to him was a smaller girl.

"Yes." The blonde replied, eyeing the camera. "Why?"

"Hi, my name's Nicky and this is Charlie." The boy introduced himself as well as the girl, his voice rich in Spanish accent. "We're currently conducting a fund raising drive." He smiled. "Half of the benefits would go straight to the park's funds and the other half would be given to the orphanage."

"We were wondering if you would like to help." It was the girl named Charlie.

"How?" Emily replied eagerly.

"We'll just take a picture of you and then you could give us any amount of donation in exchange of the photo." Charlie explained further. "It'll be two copies by the way. One for you and one will be displayed on the park's central square."

"Sounds nice. What do you think Naomi?" Emily asked, turning to face the blonde.

Naomi pressed her lips in a tight line and took a deep breath.

"It would really be of great help. We're trying to get as much popular celebrities as we can to promote the drive."

"I guess it's cool." The blonde shrugged.

"Thanks!" Nicky exclaimed. "Now, if you would just move closer." He motioned his hands towards the two girls, beckoning them to move closer to each other.

"She's your girlfriend right?" It was Charlie.

Emily bit her lip as she tried to hide her blushing cheeks, scolding herself for letting it happen every time the word girlfriend was mentioned.

"Yeah." The blonde nodded.

"It'll be okay then if you kiss her on the cheek?" Charlie continued. "Then we'll take the picture."

Naomi took a quick huff and answered. "Sure, no problem."

Emily could feel her cheeks burning like fire as she blushed even more upon hearing Naomi's answer. She felt Naomi's arms wrap around her shoulders, sending her heart into racing beats. She lifted her head and was about to say something to the blonde when it all happened too fast. Naomi leaned forward, her lips puckered already. The moment Emily lifted her head, Naomi's lips landed on her own pair of lips instead of landing on her cheek. Without warning, the camera flashed, taking both of them in surprise.

"Wow that was unexpected, but perfect." Nicky exclaimed as he reviewed the shot, unaware of the sudden awkwardness forming between the two girls.

Naomi quickly pulled away from the red head, her arms recoiling but her eyes still fixed on Emily. It was the smaller girl who averted her gaze first, looking at everything except at the blonde. She was pretty sure that she was as red as her hair now.

"This is probably one of the best shots we've ever taken." It was Charlie who spoke and handed Naomi the picture. The blonde pulled out a hundred dollar bill from her purse and gave it to the girl. "Thanks." Charlie beamed.

Naomi smiled and muttered a small thank you before turning to a still blushing Emily. "Let's go." She called out, grabbing the red head's wrist as they went to get their bike and hopped on it. She gave Emily the picture, completely unaware of the smile that had formed on the red head's lips upon seeing the photo.

Yep, unexpected but perfect.


	14. Beds and Bikes

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 14

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **More Naomily moments XD

**A/N: **Merve replied to me on twitter! lol Here's the next chap ^^ and seriously, all your comments are giving me a huge boost! Thank you very much!

The three day break in Barcelona was probably the best three days Emily had in such a long time. Though Naomi was a prick during most of their stay, she couldn't deny the fact that the blonde indeed had her soft sides, or at least Emily thought she had. She probably had seen glimpses of it as Naomi would then quickly come back to her bitchy state, mood swings as the red head called it.

"Could you be any slower Em?"

And it's starting.

"If you actually helped me unload all these rather than stand in there and finish that fag, it would've been a hell lot faster." Emily spat back, dropping another luggage to the ground. How come they left Bristol with only three suitcases and now they've got six?

Naomi rolled her eyes as she watched Emily haul the suitcase inside. "If I had any intention of helping, I would've done it already, don't you think?" She flicked the fag down to the wet ground and stubbed it out with her heels. "Try putting your back into it." She added, words full of sarcasm.

"It's your bags that are bloody heavy." The red head retorted. "What you put in here? Rocks?"

Naomi snorted. "No. Diamonds." She smirked. "The size of huge, gigantic rocks."

"Bitch." Emily mumbled as she watched Naomi storm inside the house, leaving her outside with the rest of their luggage. "Fuck's sake!" She screamed when she felt the heavy rain drops starting to fall. Good thing she managed to haul the other four bags inside earlier, which meant two more left in the car trunk. She was nearly soaking wet under the rain, busy pulling out another bag, when she felt the rain drops stop pouring on her. She quickly turned, falling hugely surprised at the sight of the blonde standing behind her, an umbrella clutched in hand.

"I told you to put your back into it. See you're almost soaking." Naomi reprimanded. "If you get sick again, I won't be taking care of you." She pushed the trunk door closed.

"I can always take care of myself." Emily poked her tongue out and dragged the suitcase with her as they walked towards the house, sharing under one umbrella. She hauled the bag together with the others and shook out the fallen rain drops from her head.

"Go get changed." It was Naomi. The red head had not noticed that she was watching her. She nodded and grabbed her own bag. Darting to her room, her eyes grew wide open at the sight of something suddenly lying on the middle.

It's a bed. There's a fucking bed, in her room, right at this very moment.

She dropped her bag, scurried downstairs and looked for Naomi, whom she found pouring a glass of water, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"What's with the bed?" She abruptly blurted out.

"I'm getting that out of your pay." The blonde replied nonchalantly.

"It's not for free?" Emily asked in disbelief.

"Nothing's for free these days."

The red head opened her mouth but closed it again, ceasing a retort. Instead, she headed back to her room, smiling wide at the sight of her new bed. She was far too excited to start another argument. She jumped in, squirming over the covers as she burst into a fit of giggles and muffled squeals. No more sleeping on the cold, hard floor. Thank fuck.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi's phone vibrated over the kitchen counter. She flipped it open without glancing at the screen, assuming it was Panda since she was expecting a call from her PA.

"Panda." She gleefully greeted.

"Can we talk?"

She froze, unable to either speak or even think for a moment. The call was totally unanticipated and she hadn't prepared herself yet to talk to _her_ again.

"Effy." Naomi barely whispered.

"Please?"

She took a deep breath. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I-I. I-m-" She faltered, looking for words. "I'm busy right now. And I'm _tired_."The last three words rolled out from her tongue with weight, somehow telling Effy something else.

"Oh." It was all Effy could muster.

"I have to go." Naomi said, hitting the red button at once upon saying the words. She gripped the kitchen counter for support as she felt a sudden surge of weakness all over her, letting her fingers run through her hair as she blew several jagged breaths.

"Fuck."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Once the overwhelming excitement of having a comfy bed had died down, Emily decided to unpack her things. She zipped her bag open, tossing her things out one by one onto the bed, until she stumbled upon the photo taken at the park they had gone to. She smiled, her fingertips grazing the smooth and glossy paper, blushing a little as she remembered how it all happened. Emily then rummaged into her drawer, searching for a nice frame she knew she had saved for some reason. Upon finding the red frame, she placed the photo in it, making it stand over the bedside table. She stared at it for a few more moments before returning her attention to unpacking her things, albeit allowing herself to throw glances at their picture once in a while. Alright, maybe she _did_ fancy Naomi, no more use of denying it. But just a tad bit. As far as she knew, she hated the blonde much more than she fancied her. Though, the truth still stood. She fancied Naomi, the tiniest bit, even if she's a bitchy twat most of the time. A moody cow who probably had a disorder or something. Emily saw it as something that's not bad, her liking Naomi. It's just _like_ anyway, nowhere near _love_ and she's not planning to cross over that line, not even in her dreams, not even when she had entirely lost her sanity. Nope. Never gonna happen.

"Em!" She heard Naomi shout from downstairs, breaking her chain of thoughts. "Emily!"

She walked towards the stair landing and shouted back. "What?"

"Come down here."

Emily rolled her eyes. "You're the one who needs something from me. So you come up." She watched as Naomi approached the staircase, leaning on the rails.

"You won't see your other surprise then." The blonde replied with a smirk curling up on the corner of her lips.

"Fine." Emily blurted out. She made her way downstairs and followed Naomi who already had dashed outside.

"There." Naomi pointed.

Emily's eyes grew wide with surprise. "You bought me a car?" She exclaimed. "And it's same as yours too! Even the color!" She squealed. She turned and looked at Naomi, who's torn between laughing and keeping a straight face, waiting for any confirmation that the car was indeed hers.

"Do you know how to drive?" Naomi asked instead.

Emily shook her head sheepishly. "No, I don't."

"So why would I buy you a car?" The blonde retorted sarcastically, an insulting grin plastered on her face.

Emily squinted her eyes and pursed her lips. "Meanie." She mumbled. Did she just admit that she fancied Naomi? Maybe it's not yet too late to change her mind.

Naomi snorted and stifled her laughter. "Yours is there, beside my car."

The red head passed behind the car and reached the other side, her jaw scraping the floor at the sight of what Naomi was talking about.

"A bike?" She mouthed in disbelief. "You bought me a fucking bike?" She turned her head and looked at the blonde. "And it's pink for fuck's sake! With ribbons on both handles!" She pointed out. "Do I look like a child to you?" Yep, it's not yet too late to change her mind.

Naomi let out an amused laugh. "Pretty much." She walked towards Emily. "Why? You don't like pink? I think it's cute."

Emily grimaced. "What are you? Paris Hilton or something?"

"Oi!"

Emily poked her tongue out. "Why not red? Or maybe, maybe-"

"Maybe what?" Naomi asked, her brow arching.

"Blue." Emily muttered, fixing her gaze down on her shoes as she tried to hide the sudden blush on her cheeks. "Same as your, your-"

"Same as my what?"

"Eyes." The red head whispered, covering her mouth with her hand upon realizing what she said. "I mean car, your car. Yes your car." She stammered, attempting to cover up.

Silence fell. And it was fucking awkward.

"You're stalling." Naomi blurted out all of a sudden.

"What?"

"You're afraid to ride the bike. So you're stalling."

"No I'm not." Emily shook her head drastically.

"So you'll ride it then?" Naomi replied, smirking.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Fine." She hopped on the bike and backed away from the car. "Well? Aren't you gonna guide me?" She called out to Naomi.

The blonde held onto the back part of the bike as Emily started to pedal. "Go slowly Em." She reminded, seeing as the floor was still wet from the sudden rain that poured earlier.

"I'm trying." Emily replied. She gripped the handles tight to lessen her wobbling, until finally, after a few tries, she managed to put a strong hold and stopped tilting.

"I'm gonna let you go Em yeah?" She heard Naomi speak behind her. "On the count of three."

Emily took a deep breath and waited until the blonde finished her counting. "Did you let go?" She cried out.

"Yeah, I did." Naomi replied, following Emily as she circled around.

"I'm doing it then?" The red head asked.

"Yeah, you are."

"I'm doing it. I'm doing it!" She shouted triumphantly, passing by Naomi to give her a quick high five.

Naomi let out a laugh as she watched Emily struggle to keep the bike from wobbling. She was enjoying a bit too much that she missed the sound of a car that had just pulled up behind them. It was only when Emily had ceased cycling that she turned around to see what the red head was staring at, instantaneously stopping dead as she saw who stepped out of the car.

"Effy."


	15. The first sign

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 15

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **Effy wanted to know something.

**A/N: **still waiting for Lily's reply on twitter! LOL I'm just an obsessed fan girl! Anyways, here's the next chap ^^ and all the amazing comments, thanks for them! I'm really surprised! You guys are awesome!

Dedicated to: Skye because she likes some Naomiffy!

All three of them stood perfectly still, Naomi with Emily beside her, holding her new bike close. Across them was Effy standing in front of her car. They all seemed to be too stunned to either speak or talk, their eyes just constantly flickering among each other. Emily could see the clenching of Naomi's jaw, the hard expression she had once seen was back and for once, she wanted to do something about it. It could have been countless minutes that passed, the silence unbearable, that the red head felt a certain need to break it.

"Hello." She shyly greeted, nodding towards Effy's direction.

The brunette acknowledged her by giving a half nod in return. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Why didn't you say you were coming?" It was Naomi.

Effy's lips curled up into a smirk. "If I told you, it's either you'd leave or you won't let me come here."

Naomi closed her eyes and blew a weary breath. "Let's go inside." She cocked her head, beckoning Effy to come in. Emily went first and ran to the kitchen to prepare something for their guest while Effy and Naomi stayed rooted on their places, just staring at each other.

"I didn't know you moved in." Effy said. "It was Panda who told me. You didn't even bother mentioning."

"I don't need to tell you everything I'm doing, do I?" The blonde retorted, sounding too harsh to the brunette's ears.

Effy's expression faltered, from her classic smirk to shock and a flash of hurt. "I see." She muttered after a short pause. "You're not in the mood to talk." She quickly turned around, her hand instantaneously gripping the car door handle.

"Effy, wait!" Naomi shouted, running after the brunette at once. She caught her by the wrist, just in time for her to not step inside the car. "I didn't mean to-"

Effy turned to face the blonde. "I'm sorry." She barely whispered, cutting Naomi off. "I-I was fucking stupid. I don't know what has gotten into me that night."

The blonde paused for a moment, watching Effy under her gaze.

"Don't be mad."

Naomi would be lying if she told Effy that she wasn't mad or hurt anymore. But then again, this was Effy. This was different. Taking one deep breath, she offered her a small smile. "I'm not."

The brunette smiled in return, pulling Naomi for a quick hug. "You free then today?" She smirked when Naomi nodded, suddenly forgetting about a certain red head she was just with moments ago.

On the front door threshold, Emily quietly stood by, watching the scene outside unfold before her eyes, a certain unpleasant feeling comparable to jealousy making her heart clench tight.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"How come you never told me anything about Emily?"

Naomi averted her gaze, fixing her eyes on her shot glass instead, watching a bead of water slowly streak down until it hit the wooden bar counter. Though, she was perfectly aware of a pair of electric blue eyes intensely staring at her, reading her inside out. She had no idea how long she had remained speechless, until she felt a slight nudge on her rib from Effy, urging her to answer.

"It all just happened too fast." She wandered her eyes around the brunette's kitchen where the mini bar was stood. "I never had the chance to tell you about her."

"Do you like her?" Effy asked, eyes fixed on Naomi who was sat beside her. She watched as Naomi nodded to answer. "More than you like me?"

Naomi snapped her head, turning to look at Effy with an incredulous expression, a hint of disbelief dancing in her eyes.

"Well?" The brunette demanded.

She grimaced, unable to form coherent words to say. She lifted her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, suddenly wondering if she did the right thing, coming with Effy here. "Ef." She called out, sending a subtle message to the brunette, telling her that she didn't want to talk about it anymore. Not this time.

"You didn't answer me." Effy replied, too eager to know the answer, as if her life depended on it. "Truth."

"I like you more alright?" Naomi blurted out. She'd always hated being put under pressure, always hated being under Effy's keen eyes. "Satisfied?"

A gratified smirk curled up on the corner of Effy's lips. "Pretty much." She leaned in and planted a kiss on Naomi's cheek. "Thanks for being always there."

Naomi pressed her lips in a tight line and smiled. She knew it was wrong. It was dangerous to fall for Effy over and over. Yet, here she was, helplessly captivated by Effy's indescribable charm.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily found herself stumbling in front of Freddie's office, the draft of her half written novel in hand, her fist shaking while she softly knocked on the door. As soon as Naomi and Effy left, she decided to go out too, unable to bear the deafening silence of her house, though she had been so much accustomed to it after living in her own for quite some time. But that was before she even met Naomi. Now, the quietness of the house seemed to drive her insane, her thoughts swirling around lots of different things, but would mostly linger on the fact that Naomi had left with Effy, the blonde not even telling her that she'd leave, like she had totally forgotten about her. Emily could feel that particular sharp twinge in her chest upon remembering, the same exact sharp twinge she felt when she watched Naomi hop in into Effy's car, leaving her without any notice.

Emily could hear quick movements inside the office, a muffled "come in" barely passing against the thick wooden door broke her chain of thoughts. She nervously twisted the handle and pushed the door open, revealing a surprised Freddie seated on his swivel chair.

"Emily!" He called out, flashing a warm smile. "What a surprise."

"Hey." She greeted shyly, stepping inside. "I hope I didn't disturb you from anything."

Freddie let out a small chuckle and shook his head. "I told you, I'll always have time for you."

The red head bit her lip and tried to hide the sudden blush on her cheeks. "Thanks."

"What can I do for you then?" He asked, beckoning Emily to take a seat.

"I-uhm, I brought my novel." She softly mumbled, Freddie almost failing to catch what she was saying.

"Oh that's great!" Freddie exclaimed. "Can I see it then?"

Emily handed her manuscript to him and waited quietly as he gave it a quick scan, flipping the pages swiftly.

"It's pretty long. It might take me a day or two to read through it." He told the red head. "You might just have to come back."

"Oh." Emily muttered. "Right. I guess I'll just come back after two days then. So you won't have to hurry."

"Sure. Two days would be good." Freddie agreed. "Is this still your original story by the way? You haven't changed anything?"

The red head nodded. "I still haven't found what's missing. Besides, I haven't been able to write anything new. Naomi's got too much complains." She bit her lip, upon realizing what she had just said, worried that she could've given something away.

A sly smile curled up on Freddie's lips. "Looks like she wants you all to herself eh? Don't want to share you with anything else."

Emily took a deep breath before forcing herself to smile. "I suppose so." She barely whispered, biting the inside of her cheek. If only Freddie knew how it was the exact opposite. "I guess I should go. You probably have lots of things to do yeah?" She stood up and dashed to the door, only to be stopped by Freddie calling her name.

"Emily." She turned. "Would you like to grab some dinner tonight?" He asked. "I mean, if you've got nothing else to do." He shrugged his shoulders when Emily didn't give out an answer. "It's alright with me if you can't though. I don't want to cause a fight between you and Naomi."

"No, no. It's okay." Emily replied. "I think Naomi won't be home for dinner tonight anyway."

"Oh right. Loads of work?"

"Yeah, something like that." She whispered with a sad smile, watching Freddie as he fixed himself before they both walked out of the office.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Stepping out of the cab, Naomi's brow shot up upon seeing the house empty with all the lights switched off, except for the post lamps on the porch. She hooked her arm between the metal bars and unlocked the gate, heading inside at once to flick all the lights open.

"Emily?" She bellowed as she placed the pizza she bought, Emily's favorite to be exact, on top of the kitchen counter. Upon hearing no answer, she marched upstairs towards the red head's room, scowling after finding it empty. She fished her phone out and was about to dial Emily's number when a certain photo frame caught her eyes. She reached for the red frame, letting out a small smile upon seeing the picture. She placed it back, her gaze then falling on a small calendar that stood beside the frame, with a particular date marked with an 'x'. She grabbed the calendar, checking the note that was written on that date, nodding in comprehension once she had read it.

_Me and Katie's Birthday._

It was exactly three days from now, not that she cared anyway. She put the calendar back and was about to head to her room to change when she noticed bright head lights approaching as she stood near the window. She turned and squinted her eyes, trying to recognize whose car was it. She grimaced upon realizing.

Freddie.

"What the fuck?" She blurted out as she ran down the stairs, straight to the door, swinging it open quickly once she had reached for the handle.

"Thanks for the lift." It was Emily. She gave a timid wave as she watched Freddie's car drive away. She fell into surprise when she turned, seeing Naomi leaning on the threshold with her hands crossed over her chest, looking not pleased at all. "Oh you're home already." She managed to say though.

"You didn't tell me you were going out." Naomi muttered with a hint of accusation evident in her tone.

"I just went to give him my manuscript." Emily explained, stepping inside.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Since when did dropping manuscripts take almost all day long?"

"He invited me for dinner. I said yes." The red head replied casually.

"Without even telling me?"

"You didn't tell me you were leaving with Effy either." Emily spat back, taking Naomi by surprise.

"T-that's different." The blonde replied, averting her gaze.

Emily snorted. "It's the same Naomi. Besides why are you so wound up? It's not even a date."

"Like I care if it was a date." The blonde blurted out. "What I'm saying is, the paparazzi could be everywhere. Things could easily be misinterpreted."

It took quite a while before Emily could respond, Naomi's words knocking her back to reality. She kind of hoped, the deepest part of her did, that the reason why Naomi was upset was because she was feeling that certain sharp twinge too, like what the red head had been feeling almost the whole day. But she was wrong and she felt sick of herself for even letting a spark of hope instigate inside her.

"Oh, right." She barely whispered, her eyes fixed on her shoes.

"I suppose you're not gonna eat then," Naomi stated. "Just put the pizza on the fridge." With that, she turned around and headed straight to her room.

Emily took two long huffs before going to the kitchen, grabbing the square box from the counter. She lifted the lid and checked the pizza out, letting out a soft groan upon seeing that it was indeed her favorite.

Disorder theory points, way beyond counting possibility.


	16. Emily's birthday

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 16

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **Naomi's unexplainable mood swings and an unexpected visitor :)

**A/N: **Next chap ^^ Thanks for the super awesome comments guys. You are all lovely people.

"You gonna do something today?" Naomi asked over breakfast one morning.

Emily lifted her gaze up from her plate, her forehead creasing as she tried to think, gently shaking her head afterwards. "Nothing much, except from cleaning."

"Just that?"

"Oh and I'm gonna pick up my manuscript at Freddie's office." She added, a wide smile shaping in her lips as she remembered.

Naomi's brow instantaneously shot up. "Can't you do that tomorrow?"

"Why put it up for tomorrow? I haven't got anything to do anyway." She replied casually as she played with her fork.

"But it's your birthday today!" The blonde exclaimed, startling Emily.

"What?" The red head's eyes grew wide. She stood up and dashed towards the living room, checking up the date on the calendar standing beside the computer. Her mouth hung ajar upon seeing that Naomi was right. She ran back to the kitchen and slipped in to her seat again. "You're right! It's my birthday today!"

Naomi snorted out loud. "I can't believe you forgot your own birthday."

"It just slipped from my mind. I've been thinking about lots of stuff." Emily replied. "Hang on, how did you know it's my birthday?" She squinted her eyes, eyeing Naomi with a wary stare.

"Only a stupid person would forget about her birthday." Naomi answered, avoiding the question entirely. "Why am I not surprised?" She rolled her eyes.

"I had lots of things in mind yeah? Aside from the fact that all I've been doing was cleaning the house." The red head spat back. "I don't just sit there and watch people clean while pretending to read a fucking book."

"Oi! I wasn't pretending." The blonde countered. "I really was reading!"

"Did I mention any names?" Emily grinned, goading Naomi. "You're so guilty that you're being defensive."

"Whatever." The blonde brushed off, failing to find something to throw back for once. She returned her attention back to her meal, stuffing a forkful of bacon in her mouth.

Emily broke into a gratified smile, feeling a bit proud of herself for successfully shushing Naomi for the first time. Although a rush of guilt came later on as they proceeded to eat in silence, the only sounds filling the air was the clattering of their forks against their plates. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Emily had learned to hate silence for the past few days. She'd rather bicker with Naomi than sit in complete quietness, just like what was happening now. She took a deep breath and swallowed the piece of bacon she was chewing, before deciding to speak. "I guess I'm going to call Katie. We always celebrate birthdays together." She bit her lip, surreptitiously praying that Naomi would respond with something coherent.

"I thought you hate her." The blonde replied, much to Emily's delight, eyes fixed on her own plate.

The red head let herself break into a small smile. "Well, she's still my sister." She shrugged. "Besides, I can't hate her forever."

"Where do you plan to celebrate?" Naomi asked, watching the other girl from under her lids.

"Me and Katie love going to theme parks. We used to bring James with us. Mum and dad used to come along too." Emily answered with a sad smile.

"What? Like Disneyland?"

"We can't afford Disneyland." Emily let out a soft chuckle. "Alton towers or Thorpe Park, but I guess we won't be able to go today."

Naomi pressed her lips in a tight line, lifting her gaze to the red head's sad face. "What are you going to do then?"

"I guess shopping. It's what Katie likes." Emily shrugged. "Probably at Broadmead or Cabot Circus."

"Just you two?"

"Yeah. I don't want her boyfriend to come. I might kill him and I don't want to go to jail."

Naomi paused for a short while. "What about me?" She blurted out, her brow shooting up.

"Huh?" Emily's forehead folded into a crease. "What do you mean?"

"I-I mean." The blonde stammered, averting her gaze from the girl in front of her. "You'll leave me here alone?" She pulled a face, hating how stupid she sounded.

"With so many people around there, how can you go?"

"Did I say I was going?" Naomi cried out all of a sudden, making the red head flinch. "I'm busy all fucking day."

"Why are you suddenly so upset?" Emily scowled.

"Christ! I'm not." The blonde replied, her teeth gritting as she slammed her fork down at the table.

Emily shot a heated glare towards Naomi, her nose scrunching up in loathing as she pursed her lips. What the fuck is her problem? She opened her mouth but closed it again upon hearing the doorbell ring, thankfully breaking their conversation turned argument.

"Just get the fucking door." She heard the blonde mutter. She rolled her eyes and quickly slipped out of her seat, leaving a fuming Naomi, for still an unknown reason, at the dining table.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily dashed to get the door, her jaw scraping the floor at the sight of their unexpected guest.

"Hey Emily."

"JJ!" She squealed, launching herself towards the boy, enveloping him in a tight hug. She pulled away, without completely letting go of him, to get a better view. "When did you come back?"

"I managed to arrive just today. And I immediately went to see you because I remembered it was your birthday." JJ happily answered, the words rolling out from his mouth a bit faster than usual. "Happy birthday Emily." He greeted, drawing out a present hidden behind his back.

"Thank you JJ." The red head answered, beaming at her best friend. "I'll open this later."

"Sure." JJ replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Is Katie there?"

"Katie doesn't live here anymore. She's moved in with Cook."

JJ did not seem to be surprised. "Well I figured that would happen anytime soon." He stated. "Aren't we going to come in?"

Emily leaned forward, inching closer to JJ. "There's a monster inside. You won't want to come in." She murmured.

"Monster?" The boy cried out in confusion. "I'm not sure I get what you mean."

The red head nodded exceedingly. "A very mean monster. She's gonna bite your head off."

"Erm, Emily-"

"She's really, really mean! And she seems like she has a disorder or something." She hissed, breaking JJ off.

"Emily!" The boy cried out.

"What?"

JJ lifted his forefinger and pointed towards the front door. Emily slowly turned, her mouth hanging wide open as she saw Naomi leaning on the threshold, hands crossed above her chest, grinning sardonically at her, but was looking perfectly not amused. She gnawed on her bottom lip, feeling the hotness spread fast on her cheeks. "Oops."

The blonde rolled her eyes before turning on her heels, leaving the front door wide open. Both JJ and Emily burst into laughter at the sudden awkward situation, the read head knowing that she'd pay for it either tonight or tomorrow.

"I take it she's the monster you're talking about?" It was JJ. He watched in amusement as Emily nodded to answer. "Why are you calling her that?"

"Because she's evil. Sometimes I think she's related to Cruella De Ville."

"Let me guess, you two had a fit." He let out a soft chuckle when Emily didn't answer nor meet his eyes. "She's totally your type." He grinned.

Emily's eyes grew wide in horror. "No she's not." She glowered.

"How come she's your girlfriend then?"

The red head fell into a blush, turning bright red once the word girlfriend was mentioned. "I-I. It's complicated JJ." She whispered weakly. "Let's just get inside yeah?"

The boy dutifully nodded, following Emily inside the house.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

JJ shuffled at the couch as he fidgeted with his fingers while waiting for Emily to come out of the kitchen. He shifted again, desperately trying to find a comfortable position to help ease the nervousness surging suddenly in him upon seeing Naomi descend from the stairs. He heaved a long breath of relief when he saw Emily emerge from the kitchen just in time as Naomi's feet stepped on the stair landing. JJ watched the red head stoop down and place the tray on top of the center table, but was shooting a few glances to Naomi who was still standing at the foot of the staircase. He flinched a little when he heard the blonde clear her throat

"I'm going out for a bit." She announced, though it was directed purposely to Emily.

The read head turned around quickly, feeling her heart sink upon hearing the words. "Will you be back by dinner?" She asked, lowering her hopes down as she was pretty sure that the answer would be no.

"Probably." Naomi shrugged. "I'll go ahead."

Emily nodded, biting her lip as her eyes followed Naomi's back until she completely disappeared on the front door. She slumped down the couch right beside JJ and heaved a sigh.

"What do you want to do today Ems?"

Emily tipped her head up. "I don't know."

"Maybe we should give Katie a call."

The red head chewed on her lip and nodded, picking her mobile from her pocket to phone her twin. Four rings, she counted them in her head just to keep her from thinking of Naomi, before Katie finally picked up.

"Hey Em, I was just about to call you."

"Happy birthday Katie." She greeted, probably a little too apathetic that Katie had noticed at once that there was something wrong.

"Happy birthday. You alright Em?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good." She replied. "So, are we going shopping then?"

"Shit! I'm sorry Emily. I can't go today."

"What?" The younger twin exclaimed exasperatedly. "But why?"

"I've got a scheduled check-up this afternoon."

"But we always celebrate together!"

"I know, I know." Katie answered. "But the check-up can't be put off for another day."

"Well that's just fucking great."

"I'm sorry Em. I really wanna go but I can't." Katie replied apologetically.

Emily blew two quick huffs out. "S'okay. Just take care then." The younger twin hung up upon bidding Katie goodbye. She puffed her cheeks, blowing out noisily as she placed her phone back to her pocket.

"I know that look." It was JJ. "Katie can't come right?"

"Yeah. She said she needs to go on a check-up."

"We could still celebrate." JJ smiled. "Me and you."

Emily smiled back, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I guess so." She muttered softly. "C'mon. I'll just go get my draft first and then we could grab some ice cream."

JJ took Emily's hand and followed the red head's lead.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi skidded to a stop, pulling up against a curb on the main road. She tipped her head up and leaned against the head rest, her hands flying in her face, scrunching it altogether. "What the fuck are you doing?" She murmured to herself. She had absolutely nowhere to go, and was clearly lying to Emily when she told her that she'd be busy all day. She considered going to Effy's shop, but found herself ruling out the thought. She shouldn't go there, not on Emily's birthday. It would seem so wrong and it felt wrong in some way, though she had no idea why. She inhaled deeply, her palm tapping her forehead frantically as she tried to think of somewhere else to spend some time to, an idea suddenly popping in her head that caused her lips to curl up into a smile. She started her car and revved the engine, her blue top down already burning the road in a matter of a few seconds.

She parked her car at a spot which was somewhat hidden and reached for a pair of dark shades and a stylish cap on the dashboard. She checked herself in the rear view mirror, grimacing a bit as the shades and the cap had not been of great help to her 'going incognito' plan. Deciding that her disguise will somehow do, she stepped out of the car and looked around first, before scurrying her way to the mall.

"Which is the best pocket pc that you have?" She asked the sales lady on the store she had walked into.

"This would be the one." The lady pointed at a black pocket pc lying in the middle of the display counter.

"Can I try it out?"

The sales lady nodded. "Sure ma'am." She stooped down and took the pocket pc from the counter, handing it to Naomi.

The blonde flipped it over and around, examining it intently, her nose scrunching a little as she tried to work the thing out. "You sure this is the best yeah?" She watched as the sales lady nodded. "I'll take it then. Oh and could you have it gift wrapped?"

The lady smiled. "Of course."

Naomi muttered a small thank you before heading to the cashier to pay for her item, allowing herself to breathe a small sigh of relief as she still had remained unnoticed. After paying, she took the pocket pc and headed to another store with another gift in mind.

Finally finishing her shopping, she glanced at her watch and went to the adjoining mall, searching for a particular red head she knew should be around somewhere by this point in time.


	17. Emily's birthday II

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 17

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **Birthdays would always be nice.

**A/N: **Pretty long chap. I think this is the longest I've ever written lol. Hope you guys enjoy though! Once again, I appreciate all the comments you gave and those you will give!

Emily softly knocked on the wooden door, twisting the handle once she heard a muffled "come in" from inside. She took JJ's hand and stepped in, offering a friendly beam at Freddie who flashed his own warm smile to her. "Hello." She sheepishly greeted.

"Hey." Freddie greeted back. "I was kind of expecting you today. Have a seat please." He motioned for the two new comers to sit down by the couch.

"Thanks." Emily muttered. "This is JJ by the way." She introduced. "My best friend."

JJ in turn mumbled a shy "hello" and timidly waved his hand.

Freddie stood from his swivel chair and joined the two on the couch. "It's a pleasure to meet you JJ." He extended his hand and waited for JJ to shake it before turning to Emily. "I've read your work."

The red head bit her lip. "How is it?" She nervously asked.

"It's got some loose points in it. Some parts need further polishing." Freddie started to explain. "And I got a bit lost on the plot. Now I know what you mean when you told me something was missing." He let out a small chuckle.

"Is it that bad?" Emily was now chewing her bottom lip.

"No, no." Freddie shook his head. "It's not bad, just needs some revising." He smiled. "Tell you what. I'll make you a deal."

Emily's forehead folded into a crease. "A deal?"

"Yeah, a deal."

"What's it then?"

"Okay." Freddie stood up and walked towards his table to retrieve the red head's manuscript. "I want you to revise the whole thing. Try to find that thing you say you're missing yeah? If you do, I'll make sure this gets to be published." He handed the draft to Emily. "I've written some comments there. Maybe it could help."

"Do I have any deadlines?"

"None at all. Just take your time."

"Wow, thanks!" Emily exclaimed. "Thank you so much for the chance Freddie."

"It's nothing really." Freddie smiled. "You'll have to give me weekly synopsis though. Just so I could keep track."

"No problem."

"I guess that's the best birthday gift you could get today Ems." It was JJ.

Freddie's eyes grew wide in surprise. "It's your birthday?" He watched in amusement as Emily sheepishly nodded. "I think we should celebrate then!"

JJ and Emily exchanged glances, the brown haired boy nodding at the red head in understanding as he read the agreement in Emily's eyes. Their ice creams will just have to wait. "Well, we don't have anything particular to do anyway. I guess we could." Emily replied, letting out a small smile.

"Nice. I'll just ask my secretary to cancel the rest of my appointments. Won't be too long."

JJ went back to playing with his fingers as soon as Freddie was gone, while Emily leaned her back against the couch. She closed her eyes, knowing too well that JJ could hear her heavy sighs and he's just struggling to keep his mouth shut.

"I know what you're thinking." JJ muttered later on, failing his attempt to shut up. "You're wishing it was her instead, not Freddie."

She remained unmoving, knowing that she needed not to answer because JJ already knew.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi had been roaming around the huge mall for hours now, but still, she couldn't find any sign of Emily or her twin, Katie. Her feet were already starting to hurt from walking back and forth the adjoined edifices, her eyes wandering everywhere, behind the black sunglasses she was wearing as part of her disguise. She sat down on one of the benches and dropped the paper bags she was holding next to her, as she tried to reason out why was she here in the first place. As far as she knew, she had already got what she came here for. She had no business left. She sighed out of frustration and rolled her head from side to side, one hand massaging her neck gently, as she failed to find the perfect reason to somehow explain what the fuck she was still doing here. She chewed on her lip and took the sunglasses off, pinching the bridge of her nose absentmindedly as she drew out frustrated breaths. Why was it so hard to find Emily?

Taking the glasses off was probably one of the biggest mistakes Naomi ever did.

"Look! It's Naomi Campbell!"

The blonde's head snapped up, turning towards the direction where she had heard her name. Her eyes grew wide in horror upon seeing a fast growing mass of people charging towards her, with pens, papers and cameras in hand, all of them shouting and screaming her name.

"Jesus Christ!" She blurted out. Grabbing all her stuff from the bench, she bolted from her seat and ran towards the closest exit she could find, turning around every corner she would see as everyone whom she came across upon seemed to be interested on taking a picture or asking for an autograph of her too. As a result, she led herself farther to the exit rather than nearer to it.

"Shit!" She cursed out loud once she reached a dead ended corner. She quickly turned around, narrowly evading the crowd that was starting to build up along the hallway. She covered her ears with her hands, seemingly growing annoyed of the deafening continuous shrieks of her name. She ran around again, the paper bags swaying violently as she sprinted, skidding to a short stop when she saw the huge exit doors on the far side of the turn. She glanced behind her, scrambling to her feet all at once as she saw the flock of fans drawing nearer. She managed to reach the exit unscathed, continuously running until she was pretty sure that she had a fair distance away from the edifice. She stooped down, her hands leaning against her knees as she gasped for air, taking long deep breaths and filling her lungs as she waited for her breathing to come back to normal.

But it was far from over.

"Isn't that Naomi Campbell?" A lady cried out loud.

"Yes, it's her!"

"Naomi! Can I have your picture please?"

"Fucking hell!" Wasting no time, Naomi stood right up and started running towards the parking lot. She crisscrossed down the pavement, narrowly missing the by standers and the sauntering people as well. She tripped a few times along her way, but managed to steady herself before completely tumbling over, dashing forward again as soon as she had gained her balance back. She bumped into a few people, earning loud curses as soon as she collided against them, but would scream her name not before long upon realizing who she was. After what seemed like miles of scatting away from the people, she had finally reached her convertible and hopped in at once, breezing down the road to escape the massive loads of fans screaming for her entirely.

It was already dark when she reached home. A loud groan escaped from her throat at the sight of her house. The lights were off and Emily seemed to be not home yet. She gritted her teeth as she walked inside, flicking the lights on along her way. She dropped herself wearily on the couch and buried her face in her hands, scrunching it altogether as she sighed in frustration. Where the fuck was Emily? She could feel her stomach rumbling, the weird sounds it made reaching her ears. She stood up and headed to the kitchen, rummaging around the fridge for anything good and ready to eat. She wasn't in the mood for cooking plus the fact that she never was good in it.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" She blurted out as she failed to find any food that she felt like eating.

"Naomi."

The blonde jumped at the sound of the voice, her head hitting the shelf, causing her to grimace in pain. "Shit! Ow." She grumbled. She popped her head out of the fridge, turning around to face Emily.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The red head apologized as she watched Naomi rub the back of her head.

"S'okay." Naomi replied casually.

"You hungry?" Emily asked, watching the blonde timidly nod in answer. "I'll make you some dinner. I'll just go get changed." She continued, offering a small smile before leaving. She turned on her heels and was on her way to her room when a couple of paper bags laid on the couch caught her eyes. She walked towards them instead of heading directly upstairs, a knowing smirk creeping on her lips. She went back to the kitchen, hooking one paper bag on her fingers, the smirk growing wider as she drew near.

"So Naomi." She called out.

The blonde turned around, a glass of water in her hand. "I thought you were going to get changed?" She placed the glass down the counter. "What's with the bloody smirk?" She cocked her head, pertaining to the smirk that curled up on Emily's lips.

"You went to the town center today."

Naomi snorted out loud. "What? Why would I go there?"

Emily slowly drew out the paper bag she had hidden behind her, letting it dangle and sway from her fingers as she raised it up a bit, good enough for Naomi to see. Her smirk turned into a wide, teasing grin as she watched the colors escape from Naomi's cheeks, making her turn paler than she ever was. "But you went. Why pretend you didn't?"

"Jesus!" The blonde rolled her eyes. "I went. What's it to you?"

"Did you go there to find me?" Emily bantered, desperately ignoring that tiny spark of hope igniting inside her.

"Who? Me?" Naomi cried out, lifting her forefinger to point herself. "Why would I even try to look for you?" She scoffed. "It's just t-that, I was bored and, and I haven't gone there in a long while." She stammered. "That's it. Don't think anything."

Emily crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing Naomi with a smug look on her face. "I didn't go there today, just so you know."

"You didn't?" The blonde blurted out all of a sudden, gnawing on her bottom lip as she realized the sudden outburst. "I-I mean. So what if you didn't?" She muttered, her gaze falling everywhere except at Emily.

"Did you wait that long?" Emily asked, her eyes softening with a glint of appreciation dancing in them.

"I didn't wait! I said I wasn't there for you."

The red head sniggered, biting on her bottom lip to stifle her laughter.

"Why are you laughing?" Naomi asked, her lips quivering. "Don't fucking laugh."

"You should've just called me you know." Emily replied, grinning from ear to ear before turning around and leaving Naomi all flushed and blushing.

She could feel her heart swelling ten folds, butterflies in her stomach fluttering all over. Naomi might not want to admit it, but she knew far better what to believe.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"You're weird you know."

"Excuse me?" Emily cried out, Naomi's sudden remark bringing her out of her daze. She bit her lip, having realized that she had just spaced out in front of the blonde.

"You're weird." The blonde repeated. "One moment, you got a stupid grin plastered all over your face and now you're being all sulky in there." She added, placing a forkful of lean meat on her mouth after. "What the fuck's with you now?"

"Naomi, I wanna go to a theme park." Emily muttered, pursing her lips as she gently laid her hands down on the dining table.

"Christ Em!" Naomi cried out. "It's bloody late already and the theme park's a two hour drive from here."

"But I really wanna go."

"You're asking for such a fucking ridiculous thing."

"I never got to eat cake or ice cream. At least I deserve to go to a theme park." Emily pouted, her eyes begging please.

"I'll buy you a bloody cake." Naomi replied, returning her attention back to her meal. "A huge one if you want."

"I don't want a cake." The red head moaned, earning a miffed glare from the other girl. "I don't want ice cream either."

"Fuck's sake Emily. Will you stop being so childish?"

The marbled floor creaked with the scraping of Emily's chair as she harshly pushed herself away from the dining table, springing up to her feet at once, and dashed straight to her room. Naomi was left greatly exasperated, her hand pinching the bridge of her nose, after slamming her fork down to the table. Her fingers molded with her temple, massaging it absentmindedly, finally deciding to follow the red head upstairs.

She saw her sat on the bed, her knees buckled up against her chest, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Normally, this sight would make Naomi's eyes roll, but it didn't. Instead, it brought to her a certain pang of guilt, thinking that somehow it was her fault. She shouldn't have been harsh like that. It still was Emily's birthday after all. She pressed her lips in a tight line, taking two quick huffs before approaching the red head.

"Listen Em." She tried to speak softly, tried to sound gentle as she was afraid to send Emily into another fit of tears. "I can't bring you to a theme park." She watched as Emily remained unmoving, head still hanging low. "But we're going somewhere else. Okay?" Naomi didn't wait for the red head to answer, grabbing Emily's hand straightaway and towing her down the stairs. She led her in into her convertible and hopped to the driver's seat after, the car speeding off in just a few seconds.

"Stop sulking Em." Naomi blurted out, throwing sideway glances towards the girl next to her. "You look like a sick puppy."

Emily furiously wiped the trail of tears on her cheeks and her eyes, hating the fact that she lost to Naomi again. She couldn't think of any insult to throw back at her current state, not when the only things running on her mind was her now broken family and her wasted birthday. She remained silent during most of the ride, her eyes fixed on the car window and the blurring trees they passed by.

Naomi pulled up out of nowhere, skidding the car into a complete stop. She turned to face Emily, her hand snaking into the red head's chin, forcing Emily to look at her way. "Stop crying." She said, though it was more of an order than a plea. Naomi took out a hanky from her pocket, gently dabbing the soft cloth on Emily's cheeks. "Nobody cries during their birthday. Only stupid twats do." She hissed. "Are you stupid?"

Emily inattentively shook her head, her thoughts scattered just everywhere.

"If you say so, you'll stop crying." She gently let go of the red head, her gaze focusing back on the road. "It's your birthday for Christ's sake. Not your bloody funeral or shit like that."

Emily fidgeted with the white hanky, letting out muffled sniffs as she tried to calm herself down. "Where are we going?" She finally managed to speak, her voice huskier, after such a long while of silence.

The blonde didn't answer, but parked the car instead, stepping out from the driver's seat and beckoning Emily to follow her. The red head wandered her gaze around, her puffy eyes adjusting to the post lamps and hanging lights around what she recognized as the town center. She was about to ask when she felt a soft, smooth hand slipping alongside hers, dragging her into an unknown direction, their fingers intertwined unconsciously. Emily could feel the sudden blush spreading across her cheeks as Naomi held her in tow, her nimble steps matching the blonde's giant strides. Her eyes grew wide as soon as Naomi pushed the giant doors they stopped in front of open, revealing a wide indoor skating rink, well lighted but totally empty.

"I can't bring you to Thorpe Park or Alton towers." Naomi spoke, eyes glued to the rink, but a small smile could be seen curling on the corner of her lips. "The closest thing I could think of is this."

Emily, who had been staring at the blonde ever since she started speaking, broke into a sheepish smile.

"You're not gonna stand there forever yeah?" Naomi turned her head, smiling at Emily. She watched as the red head smiled back at her, giving her hand a tight squeeze which knocked her back to her senses. She flinched, dropping Emily's hand too quick, and turned around, hiding the shocked look on her face and that small blush she could feel on her cheeks. Emily's hand instantaneously felt cold, the warmth of Naomi's hand leaving hers, the iciness of the rink enveloping her and sinking into her skin, reaching her heart. She felt an abrupt shudder traveling down her spine, causing her to wrap her arms around her shoulders to somehow ease the piercing cold that the rink and Naomi's baffling actions was giving off.

"Why didn't you bother bringing a coat or even a jacket?" She turned around, the smile she saw curved on Naomi's lips earlier now gone. She was back into her bitchy state, the side she'd love to hate.

Emily's lip's quirked, making her nose scrunch. "As far as I remember, you just dragged me here without even telling me anything."

The blonde rolled her eyes. Shrugging out of her thick coat, she inched closer to Emily and covered her with it. "Don't fucking ruin my coat." She hissed, biting her bottom lip to stifle a smile as she tried to keep a straight face. She stooped down and reached for a pair of pink ice skates with shades of blue in them, handing it over to Emily.

"Naomi? Seriously?" She grimaced, eyeing the pink skates. "What the fuck is with you and pink?"

"I don't know okay?" The blonde hissed. "It's just that, it, it looks good on you." She barely whispered, averting her gaze instantly, her hands still stretched out.

"What?" Emily asked, failing to make out what the blonde was mumbling about. "What was that?"

"Nothing. Jesus! Wear these already."

The red head poked her tongue out, grabbing the skates from Naomi's hand. She sat down on one of the benches, next to Naomi, and busied herself on tying the laces. She stood up when she was done, heading in into the skating rink at once. She let out a giggle as she stood on the ice, breathing in deeply before starting to glide. It had been so long since she last skated, way back when she was young. Katie and her loved to skate. But that was before, now everything's changed. A sad smile crept on her lips as she wiped the lone tear that escaped her eyes. She swallowed hard, pushing back the lump that had started to form in her throat. She shouldn't cry, because nobody cries during their birthday. It's what Naomi said. She quickly skidded to a stop upon the thought of the name, her eyes wandering around the rink, looking for where Naomi could have been. She turned around, smiling a little as she saw the blonde standing near the side rails, Naomi's blue eyes glued on her own pair of skates.

"Naomi." She called out and motioned her hand, beckoning the blonde to follow her.

Naomi in turn chewed her lip, unable to move or even slide her skates. She took a deep breath and tried moving her foot, but she lost her balance so quickly that her bum ended up landing on the icy floor.

"Naomi!" Emily shouted, gliding towards the blonde at once. "Are you alright?" She crouched down, meeting Naomi's eyes.

"I'm good." The blonde replied, biting her lower lip.

"You don't know how to skate, do you?" Emily bantered as she tried her best to stifle her imminent grin.

Naomi chuffed out loud. "What are you talking about? Of course I know how-"

"Fuck's sake. Stop lying yeah?" The red head hissed, cutting Naomi off. She stood up and stretched her hand out, waiting for Naomi to take it. She watched as the blonde rolled her eyes before taking her hand as she helped her stand up. "I'll teach you alright?"

Naomi shook her head. "I told you I-"

Emily's finger flew to Naomi's lips, shushing her completely. "Don't be so fucking stubborn." She hissed, throwing an aggravated glance towards the blonde, yet her finger not leaving Naomi's ruby red lips. Suddenly, she could feel the softness of it, becoming fully aware of the warm breath hitting her fingertips, sending a thousand shivers down her spine. Her eyes met pristine blue ones, seeing a glint of something she can't really define dancing in Naomi's eyes. She wanted to lean in, to replace her finger with her own pair of lips, but she couldn't move, her feet frozen on the spot as she stared on those deep blue eyes. They were like black holes, absorbing her everything, sucking her in. Until she got lost in them, completely lost that when asked for her name, she wasn't entirely sure she could answer.

It was Naomi who quickly pulled away, the glint her eyes once mirrored suddenly disappearing altogether, replaced by that familiar glare, that hard, cold stare. "Did you just shush me?"

It was all what Emily needed to break from her daze, to break from that momentary trance she had once been captivated, spell bounded. She averted her gaze, fixing her eyes on the icy ground as she tried to hide the hasty blush starting to spread across her cheeks, like fire being blown by the wind. "It's because you're being so stubborn." She lifted her gaze, once she was sure that she could look at Naomi again, without feeling so awkward, without feeling like she was burning inside. "Come on then." She cried out, grabbing Naomi by the hand as she glided along with her. She brought her on the middle of the rink, steadying the blonde first before letting go.

"Okay so it's like this." Emily started to explain. "You just go with the flow of the skates yeah?"

"But it's slippery."

Emily snorted. "Of course it's slippery. It's supposed to be."

"I'll end up falling again."

"No you won't. Just go slowly."

"I don't want to."

Emily could feel her lips quirking. "Come on."

"No."

"Christ! Don't tell me you're just gonna fucking stand there?"

Naomi didn't answer.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Suite yourself." The red head dismissed, skating away from Naomi. She poked her tongue out, seemingly teasing the blonde, shoving it to her face that she could skate and Naomi Campbell couldn't. She circled around her, laughing out loud at the sight of Naomi's clenched teeth and flaring nostrils.

"Fucking show off." Naomi blurted out, her eyes growing wide when she felt a strong tug on her wrist, a pair of hands holding both her own. She saw Emily skating fast with her in tow, their hands now intertwined together. Fuck knows how it even happened.

"Just hold on to me." Emily shouted, glancing backwards to Naomi shortly before bringing her gaze back to where they were heading, skating around the whole rink. She could feel the blonde's warm hands tightening their grip to hers, giving it a little squeeze in return, as if reassuring Naomi that she's not going to let her fall.

Naomi was starting to relax as she let herself be led by Emily, even smiling a little as they glided along the middle. She could feel the cold breeze in her face as they slithered around, but ignored it completely as she basked on the feeling of Emily's warm hands within hers. She tried inching to her closer, but the motion caused her to lose her balance that she tumbled down, bringing Emily with her. She landed flat to the ground, her back sticking on the icy floor with the red head on top of her. She could see the surprise on Emily's face, but couldn't help to find it adorable when the red head's cheeks began to taint pink. She met Emily's eyes, the first time she ever appreciated the color brown because she had always hated it, an incognizant smile crawling on her lips. She could see Emily smiling back, their grins turning into fits of giggles and loud laughter later on.

"I told you it was slippery. I'll just end up tumbling down."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"I guess you do have talent for something."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emily squinted her eyes as she leaned on the car pulled up against the curb, her gaze fixed on a smirking Naomi.

"You know how to skate." The blonde replied casually, taking a sip from her orange juice.

Emily turned her head, facing the hanging bright lights. "Katie and I used to skate. She taught me how."

"I gotta give Katie that, teaching someone like you." Naomi muttered, shaking her head. "It's a miracle." She blurted out. "I should know. I tried teaching you once."

"Hey!" Emily cried out, slapping Naomi in the arm. "It's still my birthday yeah?"

"Alright, alright. Keep your knickers on."

"I got a deal today." The red head announced happily.

"What deal?"

"Freddie's gonna publish my novel. I just need to fix some parts." She let out a small squeal. "I can't believe it." She heaved a deep sigh. "People will finally be able to read my work. I just hope my novel could make them feel better, like paintings and music, you know."

"That's great then." Naomi replied, turning to face Emily. She lifted her bottle of orange juice and motioned for a toast. "To your birthday and your novel."

Emily lifted her own bottle and accepted the toast with a beaming smile. "Naomi." She softly called out.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." She mumbled as she leaned on her toes, planting a soft kiss on Naomi's cheek. "You don't know how much this means to me."

A small smile curled up on the corner of Naomi's lips. "Come on, let's go home."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily woke up early the next morning as she planned to work on her novel the whole day. She sat down the computer desk, her manuscript sprawled all over the table as she reviewed the comments that Freddie had made. She stooped down, her nose almost sticking on the paper she was editing, her hands busy scratching out mistakes when she heard Naomi clearing her throat, making her a little bit jumpy.

"Are you sitting there because you're done cleaning?"

"I'll do it soon." She replied, eyes glued on her draft.

"I'll be going out." Naomi stated. "I want this house gleaming when I come back yeah?"

Emily turned her head, her eyes barely catching Naomi's walking figure as she disappeared on the front door. She took a deep breath and took her glass, heading to the kitchen to fill it up with water once more. She was making her way to the fridge when a medium sized box placed on top of the dining table caught her eyes. She glided into a stop, putting her glass down on the counter as she walked towards the table. Grabbing the folded note, she opened it, a huge smile falling on her lips as she read the note.

_Be a writer who touches hearts._

_Happy Birthday._

She untied the ribbon and lifted the lid curiously, her eyes growing wide with surprise at the sight of her gift.

A black pocket pc and a silver expensive looking pen with 'Emily' engraved on it in elegant script.

Oh my dear lord.

She gasped, her mouth hanging ajar as she continued to stare at her present with unbelieving eyes. The screeching of tires was what broke her from her daze, quickly running out, hoping that she could still catch up with Naomi. She darted out of the front door but Naomi's car had already skidded down the road, leaving tire tracks on its trail. She clutched the note in her hand tighter instead as she watched the car drive away until it was far from her sight, making a mental note to thank Naomi properly when she'd come home.

They say there's no such thing as a bad person. Just moody ones.


	18. The thank you gift

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 18

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **The thank you gift :)

**A/N: **Next chap guys ^^ I hope you like it.

As soon as Naomi's car was out of her sight, Emily rushed back into the living room and picked up the phone, quickly dialing JJ's number, an idea popping out in her mind. She paced back and forth impatiently as she waited for him to answer, the phone burning in her ear, sighing a short breath of relief once JJ had picked up her call.

"JJ!" She cried out a bit too enthusiastically.

"Hey Emily." He greeted back. "What's up?"

"Can you come down here for a bit? I really need some help."

"What for?" JJ asked, curious.

"I'll tell you when you get here."

"You mean now?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Yes. Now JJ. I do mean now."

"Is the monster there?"

"Oi!" She blurted out. "Don't call her that!"

"But you were the one who called her monster in the first place."

"Christ JJ! Just come here yeah?" She ended the call, not bothering to wait for his answer.

JJ arrived looking all flustered at Emily's sudden call. He looked around, searching for any sign of Naomi and heaved a sigh of ease when he didn't see her car parked on its usual spot. They hadn't really met properly and the last time they saw each other, they were in a rather awkward situation. He rang the door bell happily, the fear knotting his chest suddenly disappearing. As much as he hated to admit it, he found Naomi quite scary.

The door swung open and he was greeted by his best friend with a huge smile on her face. "Great you're here!" Emily exclaimed, bouncing on her heels. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" JJ asked, his forehead crumpling. "And why are you so excited?"

"We're going to the grocery. I need to buy some stuff." Emily stepped out and locked the front door.

"You're excited to go to the grocery?" He asked in confusion. "Did you call me just so I could carry your stuff?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "No JJ. I'm fit enough to carry them." She replied as they started to walk towards the bus stop. "I'm making something for Naomi. I mean, as a thank you gift."

"Can't you just kiss her? That would be enough, at least I think."

The red head snorted, chuffing her breath out. "She's worth more than that J." She bit her lip, feeling the hotness fanning out on both her cheeks as she turned into a blush.

A knowing smirk curled up on the corner of JJ's lips, acknowledging Emily's sudden blush without saying anything about it. "So what are you planning to make then?"

Emily answered with a mysterious smile, keeping schtum as they waited for the bus to arrive.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

An hour after they had gone back from the grocery store, Emily and JJ were already covered with flour and baking powder, spilling them all over the counter as well. The kitchen was a downright mess that if Naomi was to see it, she'd throw a massive fit of rage without a single doubt.

"Why are we making round shaped brownies, not square ones?"

"Because we're going to make it special." Emily answered, stooping down as she checked on the brownies being baked in the oven.

"How did round brownies become special?" JJ frowned. "I don't get it."

"You'll see what I mean when this is done."

JJ nodded, fixing his gaze on the table.

Emily's head snapped up upon hearing the phone ring. "Could you get that for me JJ?"

"Sure." He slipped out from his seat and raced to the living room to pick up the cordless phone. "Hello?"

"Who's this?"

JJ's heart started to hammer as he recognized the voice. "H-hey Naomi. I-It's JJ." He stammered, swallowing hard.

"JJ?" Naomi's voice raised a tad bit as she tried to recall. "Oh right, the weird guy." She mumbled.

"Pardon?" He exclaimed. "Weird guy?"

"Is Emily there?" Naomi asked instead, ignoring JJ's remark.

"She's in the kitchen right now. Do you want me to get her?"

"Yes please."

"Alright, hang on." JJ rushed back to the kitchen, handing the phone over to Emily who had just placed the baked brownies on top of the counter. "It's Naomi." He whispered.

Emily took the phone, tossing the pot holders onto the side. "Hey, it's me."

"Hey Em." Naomi greeted. "Listen, I'm running late tonight. I won't make it by dinner."

"Oh. Is that so?"

"Bloody photo shoot's taking forever." The blonde grumbled. "You alright there?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Great then."

"How about you?" Emily asked. "You okay?"

"I'm rather tired. They keep re-taking the shots."

"Maybe you should take a quick break."

"Nah, breaks just make the shoot fucking longer." Naomi replied. "Right, I'm being called. I'll see you later yeah?"

"Most likely. " The red head answered with a smile. "I live here remember?"

"Amusing Fitch. Very funny." Naomi sneered. "I gotta go."

"Bye then." Emily tossed the phone back to JJ as soon as Naomi hung up, surprising the boy entirely that it juggled in his hands, almost dropping it.

"May I just say, could you at least warn me if you're going to pitch things to me? I don't want to break anything. I'm quite sure Naomi would bite my head off if I do."

The red head bit her lip. "Sorry JJ."

"It's alright. I didn't drop it anyway. Which leads me to conclusion that I have amazing catching skills and-" JJ paused, catching the amused look on Emily's face. "Shit. Rambling again, sorry. Anyway, what did Naomi say?"

"She's not gonna be home by dinner." She scowled. "Photo shoot's taking too long."

"What about your gift then?" He asked, inching closer to Emily as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I guess it will have to wait for tomorrow." She sighed, shoulders slumping down.

JJ paused for a moment, ransacking his brain for a possible solution. He didn't want his efforts and Emily's either to just go to waste. "Do you know where the shoot's being held?"

"In Thomas' studio, I think." Emily replied. "Why?"

JJ broke into a wide smile, revealing his braces. "It won't have to wait for tomorrow."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily stood in front of the huge studio doors nervously, her hand shaking as she reached for the handle. Behind her was JJ, fidgeting with the hem of his hooded jacket and looking around, the fear in his chest rushing in as Emily pushed the doors open. They were going to see Naomi, making him more fidgety as they drew near due to his unexplainable fear of the blonde, which was fairly ironic because it was his idea to drop by to the studio. He took quick huffs as he tried to catch his breath, keeping close to Emily's side in case Naomi would pop out, out of nowhere all of a sudden. At least, Emily's presence helped him calm down a bit. He knew it was really ridiculous, this fear he was having, but there was something in Naomi that he found too intimidating, that it was scary at some point. Maybe because he never saw her smile the way his best friend did, or she just didn't look friendly at all unlike Emily. Although, JJ knew he shouldn't compare, because he didn't know the blonde fairly well, which led him into another chain of thoughts. He'd been having a certain impression regarding Emily and Naomi's relationship. He found it all too weird for two reasons. First, growing up with Emily, they had been used to telling each other everything that's been going on about their lives. Yet, he couldn't remember any particular instance that Emily had ever mentioned anything about Naomi to him. Actually, he only learned about the couple on telly as it was headlined in every news program he could think of. It was very unlikely of Emily to keep a secret from him, though he perfectly knew that Emily had every right to do so. He just found it weird and improbable. Second, albeit not being a relationships expert, he could tell that there was something lacking on Emily and Naomi's relationship. Based from most couples that he had observed, observed and not perved, Naomi didn't share loving touches and longing looks with Emily, unlike the others. But then he could be wrong, as he hadn't even spent a whole day with the couple. He sighed, focusing on playing with his fingers instead, stopping himself from thinking because too much of it sometimes result to a painful headache. He was pulled out from his musings when he felt a light nudge to his rib coming from Emily.

"There she is JJ." He heard her whisper. He looked up, following Emily's line of sight, and saw Naomi posing for the camera. JJ returned her gaze to the red head, watching her as she stared at the blonde with a nervous yet admiring smile in her lips. He could feel her bouncing on her heels beside him, too eager to give her gift.

"You think we should call her?" He asked.

Emily turned her head to meet JJ's eyes. "No. I think we should wait."

"Well if you say so." JJ shrugged.

They both stood in the corner, patiently waiting for the current session to finish. Emily's eyes were transfixed into Naomi's perfect form and figure, the blonde's every movement captivating her, like a spell she'd been put under.

"Emily." She heard JJ whisper to her ear. "You're drooling." He snickered.

Upon realizing that her mouth was hanging wide open, the red head closed it instantaneously, gnawing on her bottom lip as she felt utterly embarrassed being caught ogling, by her best friend of all people. He could feel JJ shaking with muffled laughter beside her. "Stop it JJ." She hissed, feeling her face grow redder by the second.

He snorted, bursting into another fit of quiet laughter. "Sorry." He softly mumbled as he felt Emily elbowing him a tad stronger.

"I think she's done." Emily blurted out moments after, hearing the photographer shout "take ten". Her eyes started to sparkle as she rocked back and forth on her heels, clutching the paper bag she was holding tighter.

"Go then." JJ replied, urging the red head to walk towards Naomi who was sitting beside Thomas on the far corner of the studio.

Emily lifted her gaze to JJ and smiled at him, returning the encouraging smile that he gave. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves down and started walking, only to come to a complete stop after two or three steps. She froze in her spot, her eyes fixed on Naomi, still oblivious of her presence, and the girl who quickly approached the blonde.

Effy.

She could feel her heart hammering out loud, could feel JJ's questioning gaze boring in her back, but her feet remained rooted to the ground. She watched in agony as Effy sat beside Naomi, handing her a bottle of water and some tissue, the blonde smiling wide in return. A smile that Emily herself had never seen Naomi give her, a smile that was just exclusive for Effy, a smile that almost certainly wouldn't be hers, ever. She turned around and walked towards JJ, her steps quick yet heavy.

"What's wrong Emily? Why don't you go there?"

She swallowed hard, pushing the lump that had formed in her throat. "Let's go home."

JJ crumpled his forehead. "It took us a long way to get here. Why go home?"

"It's not the right time to give this to her." She replied, her voice breaking a little bit. "Let's just go JJ, please."

"But Emily-"

Emily broke JJ off by grabbing his hand, dragging him forcefully towards the studio's exit, thankful that he stopped asking questions and wasn't relinquishing her hold. She walked on scurried steps with JJ in tow, that familiar sharp twinge making its presence known, wrapping itself around Emily's heart and clenching it tight, too tight that it hurt.

Yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape. She was meant to stay.

"Emily!" It was Panda. "Whizzer! I didn't know you were here." She shouted, announcing the red head's presence just as she was about to leave.

"Hey Panda." She greeted, forcing a smile. "Actually, we're just about to leave."

"Are you here to see Naomi?"

"Erm, sort of."

"Were you able to meet her then?"

Emily softly shook her head. "I think she's busy."

"I'll call her for you."

"No Panda! Wait! Don't-"

"Naomi!" Panda waved her hand high, trying to catch the blonde's attention. "Naomi!"

Emily shut her eyes tight as she chewed her bottom lip. "Fuck."

"There she is."

"Thanks Panda." She muttered in a grave tone.

"No problem." Pandora replied, skipping her way to Naomi and Thomas' table.

Emily considered breaking into a run for a moment, but was unable to ponder at the idea as she felt Naomi's presence behind her. She slowly turned around but kept her gaze down.

"I didn't know you were coming here."

"I-I, uhm-" She faltered, searching for something coherent to say, but her mind won't let her articulate anything logical at this moment.

"She came here to give you something." It was JJ. Emily's head snapped up, eyeing him with a glare. She squeezed his hand tight, telling him to keep his mouth shut.

"You're JJ right?" Naomi asked, her gaze falling on JJ's anxious face.

He nodded exceedingly. "The weird guy." He added.

The blonde grimaced. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you that."

"It's alright. I'm kind of used to it." He let out a faint smile.

Naomi smiled timidly in return before turning her attention back to Emily. "You came to give me something?"

The red head nodded sheepishly. "You said you were running late tonight, so I kinda thought of bringing you something to eat in case you get hungry." She muttered and lifted the paper bag, handing it over the blonde.

"What's this?" She grabbed the paper bag and took out the box inside.

"It's actually a thank you gift, not just some food to eat." JJ butted in. "You know, for the birthday presents. I told Emily to just give you a kiss but she said you were worth more than that."

Emily's eyes grew wide in shock. "JJ!" She shouted, throwing a lethal glare at him.

"Oh bugger." He blurted out, seeing the grimace and embarrassment on Emily's face. He quickly averted his gaze and looked at Naomi who had a rather amused expression.

"A gift eh?" She bantered, letting a smirk curl up at the corner of her lips. She lifted the box lid, her eyes circling wide with surprise at the sight of what's inside. A dozen round brownies, each and every one of them designed to look like Naomi. Each brownie had yellow icing on top of them, resembling Naomi's blonde hair, dark chocolate for her eyebrows and the cartoon-like nose, blue icing representing her blue eyes and red for her lips. "You made these?" She cried out with glee.

"Yeah." Emily mumbled, fixing her gaze on her fidgeting fingers. She was too embarrassed to meet Naomi's eyes that she missed the glint dancing in them.

Naomi's smirk turned into a wide, much pleased beam. She took the red head's hand, interlacing it with hers absentmindedly as she towed Emily towards the table where Thomas, Panda and Effy where seated, JJ trailing behind them two. She carefully put down the box on top of the table and called the photographer, asking him to take a picture of the brownies. The photographer gladly obliged, earning a couple of thank yous from the blonde.

"Those brownies look nice yes?" Thomas commented, reaching for a piece.

"Oi!" Naomi slapped his hand away from her brownies. "These are mine yeah?"

"Don't be so selfish Naomi." It was Panda. "Give us some."

"No. I don't want to." The blonde refused, squeezing the red head's hand tighter. "Emily made these for me. If you want some, go find somebody who'll bake for you." She turned to Emily and tugged the red head's hand which was still intertwined with hers. "I'm being called now. Look out for my brownies, will you?" She watched and smiled when Emily nodded. "I swear I'll throw a bloody fit if one of these goes missing." She warned, her forefinger pointing at each person surrounding the table before letting go of Emily's hand and standing in front of the camera, leaving Thomas, Panda and JJ laughing in amusement.

Emily, on the other hand, remained speechless, just too stunned to speak. Everything happened too fast that she had a hard time to catch up and comprehend every single thing. Although two things had managed to stand out amidst her swirling thoughts, Naomi's hand that never left hers until she needed to, and Effy's heated glares that she could see well at the corner of her eyes.

JJ though, had seen something that changed his opinion and view about the whole thing. There might be no loving touches and longing looks, but there was definitely something connecting Emily and Naomi. A certain, indescribable attraction that was existing between them, holding them together, like opposite poled magnets, pulling each other closer.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily excused herself for a moment, the weight of Effy's glares sinking beneath her skin. She scurried her way to the bathroom, splashing water all over her face as she tried to draw in heavy breaths. She gripped the sink tight, propping on her arms as she watched herself in the mirror. The familiar sharp twinge still made her chest ache, but it was no longer unidentifiable unlike before, for she perfectly knew what exactly it was by now.

Jealousy.

She clung to the sink tighter, the word ringing inside her ears, her knuckles turning white from the pressure as she admitted the fact bit by bit. She was jealous of Effy, jealous of the lingering stares that Naomi gave to her. She was jealous of that particular smile only Effy could see, a smile that was exclusively hers, a smile that was screaming "I'm in love with her" all over it. She closed her eyes, fighting back the stinging tears and pushing the lump on her throat that she had been struggling with. She couldn't be jealous. She shouldn't. She had no right to.

"Emily."

She caught her breath, slowly turning around with shut eyes. "Effy." She muttered, batting her eyes open as soon as she felt the need to.

The brunette stepped closer, stopping a fair distance away from Emily, her hands crossed above her chest. "I need you to know something."

The red head gripped the sink behind her, bracing herself for whatever Effy was going to say. She swallowed hard, taking a deep breath before she answered. "What?"

"She's mine." Effy mouthed, a classic smirk pulling up at the corner of her lips. "And she will always be." She quirked her eyebrow before turning around, leaving Emily completely defenseless.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"Where have you been?" Naomi asked as soon as the red head had gotten back.

Emily lifted her head up and forced a tight smile. "Bathroom." She replied. "You done?"

The blonde nodded, reaching for her box of brownies on the table. "Hah! Still complete. Good job Em." She snickered, her wide smile faltering as she saw the disturbed look on Emily's face. "You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just tired." The red head mumbled. "Let's go home."

"Hang on, just let me get my things and then-"

"Naomi."

Emily bit her lip hard as she painfully watched the blonde turn around, turn her back from her.

"Yeah Ef?"

"You going somewhere tonight?" The brunette asked, glancing at Emily's torn look, a triumphant smirk forming in her lips.

"Em and I were just going home. Why?"

"Wanna go out?"

Naomi paused for a moment, shuffling a little bit so that she could see the red head as well, her gaze flickering between Effy and Emily. She sighed, giving a half nod towards Effy's direction before turning around to face Emily.

"Em-"

"Don't leave." The red head broke Naomi off, getting desperate as the seconds ticked by. "Please." She pleaded, her voice almost inaudible as she tried her hardest to get a hold of herself. She hated sounding so defeated. "Don't go."

"I won't be long." Naomi replied, crushing the red head's hope altogether. "I'll ask somebody to drive you and JJ home."

"Go home with me, please."

"Naomi." Effy called out, growing a little impatient.

"In a minute." The blonde replied, glancing towards Effy's direction. "I'll see you later yeah?"

Emily's eyes bore into Naomi's back as she watched her turn around and join the brunette to head out of the studio. She buried her face into JJ's chest, who was standing behind her the whole time, letting go of her tears as soon as Naomi and Effy were out of her sight.


	19. Freddie's confession

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 19

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_"__She's hurting but she knew she wasn't supposed to, because this was all just pretending, the relationship and everything."_

**A/N: **The next chap. I really hope you like this one! ^^ Thanks for all the awesome comments!

Walking down the path to her house, albeit JJ being by her side, Emily had never felt so alone her entire life. Her mind was distant, far distant, her thoughts swirling into a huge daze yet her feet kept going mindlessly. She knew JJ was babbling about something but his words barely registered to her ears, like she only kept hearing the sounds but never really understood.

"Emily." She knew she was being called but she held her gaze, still looking at the path ahead of her. She felt JJ grabbing her by the wrist, pulling her into a complete stop. Only then did she look up, eyeing JJ with a questioning stare. JJ cocked his head to the side and mouthed. "We're here. You're actually going past your house."

She couldn't help but let out a sad chuckle, laughing at herself and the fucked up situation she's in. Half of her actually believed that she's lost her mind. She didn't know what to feel anymore. She's hurting but she knew she wasn't supposed to, because this was all just pretending, the relationship and everything.

Pretending.

The stinging word rang in her ears, its echoes reverberating inside, filling her already confused mind. She tipped her head up, the peaceful sky meeting her watery eyes. She saw three stars standing close together, two of them much closer to each other, which reminded her of Naomi and Effy, the third star reminding her of herself, close but not enough. Never going to be enough. She scoffed at the sight, the stars mocking the situation she'd tangled herself into. Even the fucking stars were telling her to stop before she could do something she'd regret in the end. But it was all ready too late. She had already fallen too deep, too deep that she probably won't be able to resurface unscathed.

"Emily, are you alright?"

She brought her gaze down, meeting JJ's eyes. She blew out a long, jagged breath and softly nodded her head. "I'm okay." She mumbled almost inaudibly. "Thanks for taking me home J."

"Do you want me to go inside with you?" He worriedly asked.

"No, I can manage." She replied, offering her best friend a tight smile. "Thanks again."

JJ nodded his head in understanding. "I'll go ahead then." He muttered. "Goodnight Emily."

"Goodnight." She barely whispered and watched JJ walk back to the bus stop, until he completely disappeared from her sight. She turned, stared at the dark and empty house, and shook her head. She can't do this, not now. She slowly backed away from the front gate and shuffled on her heels, trailing the path leading back to the main road. She didn't pass by the bus stop, not wanting JJ to see her pathetic attempt to escape everything even for a short moment. She never ceased walking, her arms instantaneously wrapping around her shoulders as the cold breeze of the night hit her skin. This night felt so much colder than the other nights, dead cold. Her footsteps echoed on the almost empty streets of Bristol, turning on every corner and curb she could see, walking aimlessly around the place, until she stumbled upon a playground and found herself sitting on one of the unoccupied swings. Emily buried her face wearily on her open palms, heaving deep and heavy sighs, the scenes constantly playing inside her already baffled mind.

"_Emily made these for me. If you want some, go find somebody who'll bake for you."_

_The intertwining of their fingers, the exchange of tight squeezes._

"_She's mine. And will always be."_

_The heated glares sinking beneath her skin._

Would she fight a battle she knew she'd end up losing?

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"Emily. It's already late. What are you doing here?"

The red head uncovered her face and lifted her gaze, seeing the worried look evident on Freddie's face, surprising her entirely. "Freddie. Why are you here?" She called out.

"I live near here. I was passing by and then I saw you." He replied, placing his hands inside his pockets. "You don't look so good. Are you sick or something?"

She softly shook her head. "I'm fine Freddie."

He snorted. "If that's your definition of fine, I don't wanna see what you look like when you're sick for real." He chuckled.

A faint smile escaped Emily's lips.

"Mind if I join you?" He withdrew and motioned his hand, his forefinger pointing to the empty swing beside the red head.

Emily shook her head. "Not at all."

"You sure you're alright?" Freddie asked once more. "You can tell me anything, you know." He offered a friendly smile.

"No really, I'm fine." She assured. "But thanks."

Freddie shrugged his shoulders. "Where's Naomi? Why aren't you with her?"

She flinched, Freddie's question hitting home base.

"She's with Effy." Emily barely whispered, averting her gaze to hide her watery eyes.

Freddie paused for a moment, watching the red head as she looked away from him and focused on her fidgeting fingers instead. "It's about Naomi, isn't it?"

Emily's head snapped back to the man beside her. "What do you mean?"

"She keeps hurting you, doesn't she?"

"N-no Freddie, she-"

Freddie broke her off. "I can see it Emily. I can tell." He took a deep breath. "And I know she likes Effy."

She shut her eyes tight, Freddie's words making the throbbing in her chest worse. "But Effy likes you right?" She blurted out. "I know she likes you."

"Effy doesn't know who she really likes." He replied. "She's confused."

"Of what?" She mumbled, her forehead folding into a crease.

"Who she likes more. Me or Naomi. She's struggling to keep us both."

"That's selfish." She scowled. "Isn't it?"

"It's because she's scared."

"Scared?"

Freddie nodded. "She's scared of losing me and Naomi." He paused, looking straight into Emily's eyes. "Scared of losing us both, to you."

"Me?"

Freddie sprang up to his feet and stood in front of the red head. He slowly crouched down to meet Emily's gaze. "Because Naomi's with you now."

The red head bit her lip. If only Freddie knew.

"And because I told her that, that I like you."

Emily's eyes grew wide with shock. "Freddie I-" She stammered, shaking her head, too lost for words. "A-are you serious?"

"I am." He truthfully answered, watching several expressions register on Emily's face, from shock to disbelief, disbelief to confusion. He gave her a few minutes to recover, hearing her quickened breaths, before speaking again. "Emily, can I ask you something?"

The red head nodded, still too dumbfounded to speak.

He took both her hands, his fingers encircling in them, and gave gentle squeezes. "Will you give me a chance to show you how much I like you?"

"Freddie I-I." She stammered, her thoughts turning into a giant whirlpool of confusion. "It's not, I mean, I don't-" She faltered, unable to articulate any coherent thing to say. Everything was just happening too fast, all of them at the same time. Too fast that it made her want to scream as loud as she can. Slowly, her mind registered Freddie's hand on hers. She wanted to pull away because it felt wrong, her heart yearning for another pair of hands to hold hers. Another pair that might be holding somebody else's right at this very moment. The thought made her squeeze Freddie's hand all of a sudden, the throbbing ache pulsating wildly in her veins. She knew Freddie might get the wrong idea, but she couldn't find the strength to correct it because right now, she needed somebody, anybody, that bad. She needed comfort to ease the piercing pain searing her heart.

"I don't need you to answer now." He smiled kindly. "But, please think about it Emily."

She tipped her head up and chewed on her bottom lip. Things are just so fucked up.

Across the street, both Freddie and Emily missed the blue Ferrari that had started breezing furiously down the road.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi angrily stormed out of her car, slamming the door shut as hard as she could. What the fuck was Freddie playing at? Why the fuck was he with Emily? She spotted the front wheel and kicked it with full force, causing her to stub her toe. "Fuck!" She howled in pain, lifting her offended foot, and struggled to keep her balance as she attended to her now swollen toe. "Jesus fucking Christ!" She shouted while hopping on one foot, her swollen toe stinging. She leaned against her car, slamming her hand on the roof as she remembered Freddie kneeling in front of Emily. "Back stabbing bastard." She muttered, infuriated. "Fucking twat." She dropped her foot and opened the car door to get her stuff, walking towards the gate after. She hooked her hand and flicked the lock open, kicking the gate with so much force that she stubbed her already swollen toe again. She burst into a fit of loud curses as she wailed in pain, making her way inside the house, limping. She switched the lights open and tossed her bag to the floor as she dropped herself onto the couch. She spotted and grabbed one cushion, squeezing it as tight as she could before throwing it against the window. She could feel her heavy, jagged breaths blowing out from her mouth, her sudden, unexplainable rage the mere cause of it. She shuffled on her seat so that her back was resting on the couch, her hand pinching her nose bridge then rubbing her temples. Naomi didn't even know why she was so angry and where the fury was coming from. She was supposed to be happy after spending the rest of the day with Effy. Well she was until she saw her twat of a friend, Freddie and Emily together at the playground. Fuck knows what they were talking about, but why did he had to kneel before her? Like he's proposing or something? Is that how you talk to your client nowadays?

Proposing? Fucking hell no!

She let out a loud groan at the thought, kicking her shoes off her feet. She's got more than enough reasons to kill Freddie, although she didn't exactly know what those reasons are. The only thing she knew was that she wanted to kill Freddie. She shook her head exceedingly, getting rid of the several thoughts deluging her mind. She shut her eyes tight, trying to picture Effy in her head, her eyebrows quirking as she frowned.

Since when did Effy have fiery red hair?

She shut her eyes tighter, tapping her forehead a few times. Concentrate Naomi for fuck's sake. She tried picturing Effy again, the brown hair turning to red, the pointed nose turning to a cute button one, the classic smirk turning into a heartwarming smile, and the beauty spot appearing right under the blue turned brown eyes.

What the fuck? Effy had blue eyes! Electric blue ones that sent thousand jolts to her spine! Not chocolate brown ones that made her knees wobble and her heart melt!

She screwed her eyes tighter than ever that they were almost hurting. She started chanting Effy's name inside her head.

Effy. Effy. Effy. Effly. Efily. Emily.

She let out a strangled scream as she writhed over the couch, shooting her eyes open as she gave up on picturing Effy. Ice cream. She needed ice cream to calm down, get her head straight. She stood up and ran to the kitchen, grabbing two spoons and glasses from the cupboard and the ice cream from the fridge. She gently placed them on the center table, fishing out her brownies from her bag after. She placed the box on the table as well, an incognizant yet wide smile shaping in her lips as she lifted the lid.

Cute, cute brownies.

She glanced at her watch and decided to ring Emily up since it was getting late, plus she wanted to share the ice cream with her, surprisingly. She scowled as she found no missed calls or text messages from the red head in her phone. She spent a good thirty minutes ringing Emily, cursing under her breath each time her call ended without being answered. She turned the tv on, feeling the rage rise up above her head once more upon remembering that she was with Freddie. She flicked on the channels, stopping at a bloody soap she didn't even like, just as long as it could take her mind off things. Her efforts seemed to be working for a moment until the lead actor, with black hair she noted, pulled his red haired partner for a kiss. Suddenly, it wasn't the actors she was seeing anymore, but rather Freddie and Emily. "Bloody fucking hell!" She covered her face with her hand, scrunching it altogether as she switched the channels.

Her eyes spotted her X-box under the tv and turned it on. Guitar Hero was the answer. She grabbed the guitar and chose a random song, tapping her fingers impatiently as she waited for the song to play. She grimaced as soon as it was played, the game's vocalist a female red head. She furiously tossed the guitar away and turned both the console and the tv off. Running her fingers through her hair, she rested her back against the couch, the silence of the house not even close to helping.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily gently pushed the front door open, her forehead crumpling upon noticing that all the lights were on. Her eyes wandered around, her gaze eventually falling on Naomi who was lying on the couch, soundly sleeping. She walked towards her, spotting the box of brownies, the already melted bucket of ice cream on top of the table and the two empty glasses as well. She rolled her eyes as she observed the whole place, finding cushions everywhere, the couch misaligned and the guitar controller lying flat on the ground. It looked like a tornado had passed by their living room. She sighed and dropped her bag, stooping down to wake Naomi up. She stretched her hand and was about to shake the sleeping blonde when she hesitated all of a sudden, her eyes beginning to study Naomi's sleeping form. She looked so calm and serene while she was sleeping, no single trace of bitchiness and cattish attitudes could be seen. She looked perfect. Emily was too engrossed on staring at the blonde's face that she hadn't noticed she'd leaned in too closely, already invading Naomi's personal space. She reached out ever so lightly, tucking the loose lock of blonde hair behind Naomi's ear, her fingertips gently brushing along the blonde's cheeks, not being able to help herself. She sighed deeply and pulled away, her hands instantaneously recoiling. This was wrong. She was only letting herself fall even deeper. She stood up straight and finally reached out, giving Naomi a gentle nudge.

"Naomi." She softly called out. She backed a few steps when she saw the blonde's eyes flutter open.

Naomi stretched out and let out a small yawn before rubbing her eyes and sitting up. "Did you get here sjust now?" She asked, voice thick with sleep.

"Yeah." The red head replied. "Why are you sleeping here?"

Naomi abruptly stopped midway of her stretching, her face surprised, when she heard Emily's answer. She glanced at her watch and frowned upon seeing what time it already was. "Just now?" She blurted out. "Jesus Em! Look at what time is it!"

"What now?" Emily retorted. She definitely didn't need this, not right now. "I can't even go home anytime I want to?"

Naomi rolled her eyes, her lips quivering. "Where have you been?"

"Why ask?" The red head spat back. "You didn't tell me where you and Effy went."

The blonde froze, totally not expecting Emily's retort. She paused for a moment, unable to find anything to throw back. She watched as Emily's lips quirked, her nose scrunching up with anger. The red head threw her a heated glare and spun around, marching towards the kitchen. Naomi quickly sprung to her feet and followed Emily, her eyes finding the red head leaning against the counter with a glass of water in hand. She swallowed hard, feeling the rage rise up in her head again. "Were you with Freddie?"

Emily slowly turned around, her eyes squinting. "No."

"Liar." Naomi sneered. It just slipped out from her lips for she never meant to say it out loud.

"What?" The red head scowled.

"Nothing." Naomi mumbled, averting her gaze. "I'm hungry, make me something."

"Didn't you have dinner with Effy?" The blonde didn't miss the resentment on Emily's tone.

"No, I didn't."

"Make yourself something then." Emily replied angrily, folding her arms over her chest. "I'm tired."

Naomi's eyes grew wide with surprise. "B-but, but-" She stuttered for a little while. She huffed out loud, her teeth gnashing as she spoke. "I'll throw you out if you don't make dinner."

"Do I look like a fucking saucepan to you?" Emily snorted and rolled her eyes. "Jesus, grow up Naomi!"

"Why? What you gonna do about it?" The blonde sneered. "Gonna leave by your own will?"

"Won't make any difference would it?" The smaller girl retorted. "Whether I'm here or not it's still the same."

"It's not." Naomi barely whispered, her gaze falling everywhere except at Emily's face. "I-It's a bit, a bit-" She faltered, taking huge gulps as she tried to let the words out.

The red head's mouth dropped open, her lips forming a huge 'o' as she was surprised by Naomi's answer. It took her quite a while before she could respond, her eyes circling wide with utter disbelief at what she had just heard. She closed her mouth and swallowed hard before she asked. "A bit what?"

"The house is, I mean, it seems dark and lonely." The blonde hesitated, biting her lip as she threw quick glances at Emily. "When you're not around." She could feel the hotness spreading across her cheeks, the bright pink color tainting them.

Emily slowly uncrossed her hands, dropping them to each of her sides, one hand gripping the kitchen counter. "What?" She mumbled almost inaudibly, her heartbeats starting to race. "What was that?"

"I'm saying." Naomi pressed her lips in a tight line. "When you're not here, it's dark." She barely whispered, lifting her head up to finally meet Emily's gaze, letting herself be lost in them momentarily. She could see the glint dancing in Emily's brown ones and she could tell hers had the same glint in them. It was when a flash of brunette hair entered her mind that she broke her hold, averting her gaze quickly. "Because nobody will turn on the bloody lights." She suddenly shouted. "Now go make me something."

Emily watched as Naomi spun around in her heels, leaving her alone in the kitchen with a look of mixed expressions and grimace on her face. She could feel her lips quivering with irritation, her nose scrunching up as she poked her tongue out towards the blonde's direction. She let out a muffled scream, her fists shaking in the air as she stomped her feet against the floor.

Disorder theory proven.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily opted to stay on the living room while Naomi was finishing her supper in the kitchen. She sighed, picking up the thrown cushions and placing them back before aligning the couch once more. She cleaned up all the mess that Naomi had made before dropping herself on the couch and turning the tv on. She was too focused on the show that she hadn't noticed the blonde slipping beside her.

"Ice cream?" Naomi offered, smiling at Emily.

Emily turned her head quickly, eyeing the bucket of ice cream the blonde was holding. She grimaced and let out a groan. "It's melted already."

"It's your fault." Naomi retorted, putting the bucket down on top of the table. Emily frowned at her.

"How the hell is it my fault?"

"You went home late." The blonde answered, her voice heavy, words full of subtle resentment as she remembered what she had seen in the playground.

Emily stared at Naomi with confused eyes. "So?"

"We weren't able to eat it, coz you're late." Naomi replied casually. "And I fell asleep. I wasn't able to put it back in the fridge."

The red head snorted and rolled her eyes. "You mean you waited for me?" She bantered, her upper lip quivering.

"I-I." Naomi averted her gaze, feeling her cheeks tainting into a blush. "N-no, I didn't." She stammered. "I just fell asleep here. Yes that's it."

"Whatever." Emily chuckled, reaching for a piece of brownie on the table.

"Oi!" Naomi blurted out. "What are you doing?"

"Erm, eating a brownie? What does it look like I'm doing?"

"But that's mine!" The blonde shouted as she tried to get her brownie back.

"But I baked it!" Emily retorted, shoving the other girl's hand away from the piece she was holding.

"Still, it's mine. I get to say who could have one yeah?" Naomi scowled.

The red head pouted, tossing the brownie back to the box. "Selfish bitch." She soundlessly mouthed, grumbling to herself.

"Oi, be careful!" Naomi shouted, swatting Emily's hand. "You'll ruin it."

"You know, I've got a feeling you won't even eat those." Emily sneered. "I could make fucking dozens of brownies Naomi."

"It's my brownies so I'll do whatever I fucking want with it." She poked her tongue out, sending the red head into a fit of giggles.

"Why are you laughing?" The blonde eyed Emily with a glare. "Don't laugh. I'm fucking serious." She muttered, jabbing a finger on Emily's side.

"Alright, alright. I'll stop." Emily spoke in between her laughter. She shuffled on her seat so that she was facing Naomi properly. "What?" She asked as she caught the blonde staring at her.

"Em." Naomi whispered.

"Yeah?"

The blonde swallowed hard, taking deep breaths before speaking. "I-If, if Freddie gives you gifts, will you make him brownies too?" She slightly pulled a face, hating herself for sounding so stupid. "Like mine?"

Emily let out a light shrug. "It depends."

"Why?" Naomi frowned.

"I don't know if I would or I won't." The smaller girl replied casually.

"Why don't you know?"

"'Coz I'm not sure."

"Well just choose." The blonde retorted, getting impatient by the second. "Yes or no?"

"Why are you so fucking curious?"

"Jesus! Just choose!"

"No!" Emily shouted, throwing an irritated glare towards Naomi. "Satisfied?"

A huge smirk crept up on the blonde's lips, grinning from ear to ear. "It's late. Let's go to sleep." She mouthed before picking up her brownies and practically running upstairs to her room, leaving Emily blowing out exasperated breaths and muffled screams.

She gently placed the box of brownies on top of her bedside table upon getting inside her room. She stripped off from her clothes and climbed to her bed, her arms and legs spreading out wide as she flapped them over and over, her wide grin still stuck on her face. She let out a soft sinister laugh as she basked on the satisfied feeling over the red head's answer.

Emily's brownies were hers and hers alone. In your fucking face Freddie.


	20. Flower garden

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 20

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **"_They met each other's eyes, that familiar glint dancing on both the pristine blue and the chocolate brown pairs, yet like almost always, Naomi would break her hold when it all became too much for her to grasp."_

**A/N: **Thanks for the lovely comments! More Naomily for you guys! XD

"Em?" Naomi called out, her head popping out of the threshold. "What are you doing?"

The red head, who was squatting down and had her back turned from Naomi, peered over her shoulder. She smiled upon seeing the blonde's face. "Gardening." She answered. "You wanna see?"

Naomi's lips curled up to the side as she stepped out of the door and walked towards Emily, crouching down beside the red head as well, her hands propped against her knees. She watched the red head turn her attention back to digging the soil, wiping the beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead with the back of her hand, causing her to smudge some dirt into it.

"Erm, Em." She called out again, motioning to Emily with her hand, that she had something on her forehead. "You got-"

"What?" The red head lifted her gaze and asked with a confused look on her face.

Naomi sighed. "Never mind. I'll do it." She reached out to wipe the dirt off Emily's forehead, making the red head blush, her cheeks turning bright red all at once, which Naomi found absolutely adorable.

"Thanks." Emily softly mumbled, gnawing on her bottom lip.

They met each other's eyes, that familiar glint dancing on both the pristine blue and the chocolate brown pairs, yet like almost always, Naomi would break her hold when it all became too much for her to grasp. She'd pull away when she'd feel that she's getting too lost in Emily's eyes, afraid that she could never resurface and come back to reality. For looking into Emily's innocent eyes was like looking into perfection, the perfect escape from all the harshness brought by reality. It's in Emily's eyes that all things surrounding her become pure and beautiful. And Naomi didn't want to get used to it, because in three months, all of this would be over. She averted her gaze and pressed her lips in a tight line, yet she could feel Emily's eyes boring into her, reading her. They fell in silence for a while, her watching the flowers absentmindedly, Emily fidgeting with the handle of the shovel she was holding. The silence became unbearable that she had to clear her throat just to break free from it.

"What's your favorite flower?" She asked.

It took a short moment before Emily could answer, Naomi's question registering in her mind a few seconds later than usual. "Uhm, lilies." She mumbled.

The blonde's head quickly turned to face Emily. "Really?" She asked in disbelief, her brow arching up. "Not roses?"

Emily softly shook her head. "Actually, I'm allergic to roses. I can't stop sneezing if I smell one." She chuckled while a light blush formed in her cheeks out of embarrassment. "Besides, I think lilies are prettier."

"Lilies are indeed pretty." Naomi nodded her head, picking up the small rake lying on the ground and toying with it, lazily scraping the soil beneath her.

"What about you?" It was Emily.

"Hmm?"

"What's your favorite flower?"

Naomi snorted, to Emily's surprise. "I never liked flowers."

"Why not?" Emily's forehead crumpled.

"I'm not sure." The blonde shrugged. "I just don't." She looked around the garden, her eyes passing by the countless flowers planted to the ground. There were daisies, daffodils, sweet alyssums, dahlias, dandelions and lilies, all of them set into various spots of the huge flower garden. She wondered how Emily managed to do it, grow such a nice looking garden, what with all the things she had to carry out each day, like cleaning the house and many others. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"This?" Naomi gestured her hand towards the vast flower garden.

Emily smiled, feeling smug. "I've got lots of free time."

"You're shitting me right?" The blonde asked, her eyes squinting.

The red head fell into a soft snigger. "I guess when you love to do something, you'll always have time for it."

"True." The blonde replied, her lips curling up into a smile. "That one's pretty." She lifted her hand, pointing towards a well blossomed red dahlia near them.

"Oh, that one's my favorite, aside from the lilies." Emily grinned. "Her name's Katie."

Naomi's head snapped sideways, throwing an incredulous look towards the red head. "You name your flowers?" She grimaced.

Emily nodded exceedingly, eyeing the blonde with a skeptical look, like naming flowers was a weird thing to do. "Yeah, why?"

Naomi snorted out loud. "Really Em?"

"No shit." The red head answered truthfully. "I name them after people that they remind me of." She explained. "Like that red one." She pointed. "It reminds me of Katie's hair. See, the shade's almost the same."

"Oh right." Naomi answered, biting her lip to stifle her upcoming laughter.

"Why are you laughing?" Emily pouted.

"No, I'm not." The blonde shook her head, trying to keep a straight face but was utterly failing. She could see Emily frowning at her, the red head's lower lip fully thrusting out. "I'm just, erm, I mean, I haven't met anybody who names their plants."

"They're not plants, they're flowers." Emily retorted, her once happy mood changing into sullen and fast.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "What's the difference?"

"If you're just going to laugh at me, just go inside." The red head spat out, returning her attention back to the soil, digging it with much force due to her rising anger.

Naomi observed Emily work for a minute, peering from under her lids as she gauged the red head's mood. She felt a fresh pang of guilt rising on her chest when she saw Emily's lips pursed, her eyebrows running along a straight line as she frowned. She pressed her lips in a tight line, chewing on the bottom lip when Emily turned her back completely from her, ignoring her altogether. She paused for a moment before slowly reaching out, tugging the hem of Emily's sleeve. The red head jerked her arm, pulling her sleeve away from Naomi's hold. But the blonde didn't give up. She reached out again, tugging on the sleeve once more. "Hey Em." She called out. "I wasn't laughing. I swear."

"Whatever Naomi." Emily retorted, not bothering to throw even a single glance.

"Come on Em." Naomi tugged again. "Don't be mad."

No response. And she just couldn't take it.

"I wanna meet them." She blurted out, desperate for Emily's attention. "Who's that-" She scanned the whole garden, trying to find the prettiest flower in her eyes. "That, that one!" She exclaimed, jiggling her forefinger as she pointed to a certain dandelion. She threw sideway glances to the red head, surreptitiously praying that she could catch her attention. "What's its name?"

Emily lifted her head to see what she was talking about.

It worked. Epic win.

"I'm not gonna tell you."

Naomi's ear to ear grin dropped into a lopsided frown upon hearing Emily's retort. Her mouth opened and closed, like that of a fish's, as she searched for something to say. "B-but, I wanna know its name."

"Go ask it then." Emily replied sullenly.

"But it's a fucking plant Em." The blonde grimaced. "It's never going to answer back."

"It's not my fucking problem whether it answers or not. You're the one who wants to know." The red head spat back. "And it's a flower not a plant for fuck's sake."

Naomi blew out an exasperated breath and closed her eyes, her fingers rubbing the smooth skin of her temple. She kept her mouth shut, knowing that another word she'd utter would just piss Emily off more at this rate. She stood up instead and quietly walked away from the red head, her quick steps taking her back to the kitchen. She rummaged through the fridge, taking out the bottle of mango juice, a pack of M&M's, and a plateful of brownies she found. She placed them on the kitchen counter and took out a glass, pouring some juice onto it. She tore the chocolate pack open and fished them out one by one as she carefully arranged the pieces on top of the brownies, until they formed the word she had been meaning to spell out.

Sorry.

She rubbed her hands together and smiled at the sight of her brilliant work, feeling smug.

Take that Rachel Ray.

Placing the glass of mango juice and the plate of brownies on a tray, she took a deep breath before heading out to the garden once more. She cleared her throat and called Emily's name, waiting patiently for the red head to stand up and turn around.

If this wouldn't work, she swore she'd smash her precious Ferrari against a lamp post.

Her grip on the tray tightened as she watched Emily spin on her heels. She bit her bottom lip and stretched her hands out, handing the tray over the red head.

"What's that?" Emily asked, eyeing the tray.

"Just eat it."

Emily rolled her eyes and took the tray, her eyes circling wide when she saw the brownies and read the little note. She lifted her gaze and stared at the blushing blonde, whose eyes were falling everywhere except at her. "JJ." She spoke. "The dandelion's name is JJ."

Naomi brought her eyes towards a now smirking Emily and let out a small smile in return. She inched closer, so that they were no more than an inch apart, and stood beside the red head. They both sat down and crossed their feet, Emily removing her gardening gloves to pick up a brownie. "Why's it named JJ?"

"Because it reminds me of his hair too. You know, bushy." The red head snickered, her contagious giggle getting Naomi as well. She pointed out other flowers once their laughter died down, the daffodils being her mum's favorite, the daisies in which James picked to give to a girl he liked, and the sweet alyssums that her dad once mistook for another kind of flower and gave her a fit when she tried to correct him.

"What about Cook?" Naomi asked.

"I don't want to plant a Venus flytrap on my garden." Emily replied, causing another fit of roaring laughter between them.

"And the lilies? What'd you name them?" Naomi didn't miss the blush that had suddenly spread across the red head's cheek as soon as she asked. She wondered why it took quite a while before Emily could answer, her question seemingly catching the smaller girl off guard. "Well?" She asked, giving Emily a light nudge.

"Nai-nai." Emily softly mumbled that the blonde wasn't able to hear it.

"Sorry?"

"Nai-nai." She repeated, not being able to look Naomi in the eye.

"Nai-nai?" Naomi blurted out. "What kind of name is that?" She snorted out loud. "Sounds like a horse's name."

Emily lifted her head and threw an annoyed look towards the blonde who was howling with laughter beside her. "I actually got it from your name." She spat out, covering her mouth not long after as soon as she realized what she had just said.

Naomi stopped laughing all of a sudden, her eyes growing wide in surprise. "What did you say?"

"I got it from your name." Emily murmured almost inaudibly, her face getting redder as she spoke.

"You named it after me?" The blonde asked, watching the red head slowly nod in answer. She was dumbfounded for a moment, totally surprised by what she had just heard, her mind working things out at the same time.

Emily's favorite was lilies, and the lilies in Emily's garden were named after her.

Oh my dear Lord.

"Do I look like a bloody horse to you?" She blurted out instead, ignoring the musings her mind was dwelling at. She didn't want to think, didn't want to overanalyze things. It's giving her a fucking headache.

The red head frowned at Naomi, her lips pursing. "It doesn't even sound like a horse's name!" She retorted.

"Yes it does!" Naomi shuffled on her sitting position to get a better look at Emily. "It sounds like that bloody noise horses make."

"Hey! It took me a while to think of that name!"

"Why am I not surprised?" The blonde rolled her eyes. "It took you a while, but still you couldn't come up with a better name."

Emily took the tray and angrily shoved it back to Naomi before standing up, the mango juice spilling out a little bit from the force. She turned around and marched towards the kitchen. She was fuming with such anger that she missed the puddle before her, slipping down to it as she took another step, and she ended up covered with mud. She could feel her teeth gnashing together when she heard Naomi bursting into another fit of howling laughter. She let out a muffled scream before heaving herself up, only to land flat on her bum as she slipped again, causing Naomi to crack up all the way. She peered over her shoulder and threw a heated glance towards the blonde, who didn't notice it at first as she was still laughing out loud, her hand draped over her tummy and her fist pumping against the ground. "Shut up." She shouted with a glare.

Naomi slowed down and calmed herself, letting her laughter die down before springing up to her feet. She bit her lip, stifling another round of laughter as she walked towards Emily, holding out her hand for the red head to take. "Come on, let's get you up."

"I don't need your help." Emily spoke exasperatedly.

The blonde watched in amusement as Emily angrily wiped the smears of mud from her fingers and her clothes, but instead of being mud free, she only added more smudges in them. She pressed her lips on a tight line and struggled to keep a straight face, not wanting to push the red head over the edge. She sighed and smiled before sitting down beside Emily, smudging mud on herself as well.

"What are you doing?" The red head grimaced as she looked at Naomi, silently agreeing with the thought running in her head. She was indeed the strangest person in the world.

The blonde shrugged. "Being fair." She replied casually, her eyes spotting some mud on Emily's cheek. "Oh, you got mud on your face." She motioned her hand and patted her own cheek, not noticing that her fingers were now already covered with mud as well.

Emily giggled upon seeing Naomi pull a face when the blonde realized that she had smudged some mud on her cheek too. She lifted her hand and let her fingers brush along Naomi's cheek, adding more mud in them. "Oops."

"Hey!" The blonde cried out, doing the same to Emily.

They took turns on putting mud onto each other's faces that they ended up almost covered by it, laughing each and every time they get smudged on. They met each other's eyes, eventually stopping, their hands slowly dropping down to their sides. Naomi's mind started to spin, her thoughts swirling inside as she continued to stare at Emily's own pair, basking at the feeling of delight when she saw that familiar sparkle dancing in them. That sparkle that she never saw when Emily looks at someone else, that sparkle that was just for her. Her thoughts spun even faster, turning into a giant whirlpool of blurred words, images, scenes and sounds.

Brunette. Red head. Blue. Brown. Playground. Lilies. Nai-nai. Emily.

She could feel herself slowly leaning in, her breath turning into quick and short huffs, her eyes never leaving Emily's brown ones, never breaking her hold for the first time. She felt her heart beating loudly under her chest, her blood pulsating wildly in her veins. She could feel Emily's warm breath against her skin as she drew nearer, could hear Emily's sharp intakes of breath and loved it, every sound of it. She closed her eyes, swallowing hard as she waited for a warm pair of lips to meet hers.

"Ah, there you are love. I was looking all over for-"

Naomi and Emily quickly pulled away from each other, averting their gazes towards their opposite sides as they both tried to hide the blush fast spreading across their cheeks that even if they were covered with mud, could still be seen.

"Oh my." Gina muttered. "Did I interrupt something dear?"

"What are you doing here mum?" Naomi grimaced in embarrassment.

"Hi Gina." Emily greeted with a timid wave.

"Hello Emily." The older woman smiled, ignoring her daughter's question. "What are you two doing down there?"

"I, uhm, slipped and Naomi tried to help me stand up but she slipped too." The red head bit her lip, hoping that Gina would just take the excuse and stop asking questions.

"Well you two best clean up. I'll be waiting at the living room." Gina winked at Emily before turning around, leaving the two girls on the most awkward situation they have ever been into.

"We better do what she says or she'll do a bloody Sherlock Holmes on us." It was Naomi who heaved herself up first, holding out her hand for Emily to take. She pulled her up carefully, her fingers intertwining with the red head's as she led her inside.

This hand holding thing, Naomi could get used to it.


	21. The phone call

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 21

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_"__She closed her eyes, letting the tears fall down on her cheeks, the tears she had been keeping hold of almost half of her entire life. She knew Emily could hear but she didn't stop, nor did she care. She just wanted to be free, be free of a burden she had been carrying for so long."_

**A/N: **Next chap! Hope you guys like it! ^^ I've got some bad news though, I might not be able to update as often as I can from now on, coz my laptop's dead. Haven't got enough money yet to buy a new one. But I'll work something out and try everything so that I could still update as often as I used to. Just letting you guys know, if in case. And thanks for the WONDERFUL comments! You guys flatter me so much!

"So Mum, would you like to tell me what exactly are you doing here?"

Gina lifted her gaze from the magazine she was reading and watched as her daughter and Emily settle on the couch, sitting side by side next to her. She closed the magazine and tossed it on the coffee table, smiling at the two girls as she clasped her hands together. "Nothing in particular, love." She replied, eyeing the two. "I was just up for a visit."

Naomi snorted out loud. "Really?" She rolled her eyes and quickly turned to Emily when she felt a sharp nudge on her rib. "What?" She whispered.

"Be nice." Emily hissed as she glared at the blonde. Turning to Gina, she smiled warmly. "It's well nice of you to drop by."

"Thank you dear. You're such a darling." The older woman replied gleefully. "But you do look quite a little pale." She turned to her daughter. "Naomi have you been taking care of Emily?"

Naomi covered her face with her hand and scrunched it altogether, grumbling under her breath.

"I-I'm just a little tired." Emily butted in, throwing a nervous glance to the blonde beside her. "Haven't been getting enough sleep the past few days." She smiled uptight. "You know, writing and stuff."

"Ah." Gina muttered. "Lovely garden by the way. Perfect place to go all muddy." She winked at Emily.

"T-Thank you." The red head stammered, feeling the hotness fan out across her cheeks.

"Mum!" Naomi hissed.

"What? I was just saying it's lovely." Gina shrugged, brushing her daughter off. "Did you do all that?" She asked the red head. "The garden?"

"Yes. It took me quite a few years to grow it though."

"You should teach me some time. Mine looks horrible." She chuckled. "Where are you going Naomi?" She abruptly asked, seeing her daughter spring up to her feet with her mobile phone in her hand.

"Thomas is calling. I'll just take this." Naomi excused herself and stepped out of the living room.

Emily's gaze followed the blonde's direction, her eyes boring into Naomi's back, momentarily forgetting that the older Campbell was there with her, her heart beating nervously as the seconds ticked by. What if it wasn't Thomas after all? What if it was, it was-. Her fingers started to fidget as she swallowed hard. She couldn't even manage to think of the name, _her_ name, for each time she tried, it just sent her heart throbbing with pain.

"Is something wrong Emily?" It was Gina who called out the red head's attention, breaking her reverie.

"No. I'm okay" Emily turned and replied, shaking her head gently.

"Sometimes I don't know if I should like her job or not." The older woman sighed. "She's always out somewhere else."

"But she's doing really good at it." The red head replied. "And she seems happy. I guess that's what matters."

Gina smiled widely at Emily. "True. I've never seen her that passionate about something before." She paused. "Ever since her dad died."

"What happened to her?" The red head curiously asked. "I-I mean, right after he died?"

"She stopped talking. Wouldn't talk to anybody, including me." Gina answered with a sad smile. "She'd keep herself locked up in her room and she won't come out unless you force her to." She continued. "Well that was until Effy came along."

"Oh." It was all what Emily could come up with. She brought her gaze down, looking at her fingers to somehow hide the flash of sadness in her eyes. She would never win against Effy, not when Naomi's been with her longer than she had been.

"Now, now don't you get all jealous." The older woman comforted. "They're just friends."

"Who are friends?" Naomi butted in, appearing out of nowhere, her eyes trained at Emily who had her head bent down. "Mum, what have you been telling Emily?"

"Nothing love." Gina answered casually. "We were just talking about your job." She added. "Now, I supposed you'd be leaving?"

Emily snapped her head up and watched the blonde nod in agreement. "You're going out?" She blurted out in surprise.

"Thomas wants me to come down to his office." Naomi grumbled.

"Is it really Thomas?" The red head couldn't help but ask, turning her gaze away from the other girl.

Naomi's forehead crumpled, her brow arching up. "Yeah, who else could it be?"

"I don't know." Emily shrugged. "Effy maybe?"

"Don't be ridiculous." The blonde snorted. "I'll go ahead now." She turned around, leaving her Mum and a baffled Emily in the living room.

Gina quietly watched the exchange between the two girls in amusement, with a content smile shaping in her lips.

Ah, the wonders of subtle jealousy.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily shuffled on the comfy couch as she waited for the older woman to come back from the kitchen. As soon as Naomi had left, Gina had invited her to come around her house and she gladly accepted, knowing well that her mind would run around crazy thoughts again when she's left alone, the utter silence of her own house driving her mad. She stood up and walked towards the row of paintings hung on the wall, admiring each and every unique artwork she could see.

"Was this done by your husband?" She asked upon seeing Gina enter the living room, two cups of tea in hand.

"Yes."

"It's beautiful." Emily muttered with such awe.

Gina placed the cups down and stood beside the red head. "This one." She pointed to the painting Emily had once seen before. "That little girl there." She glanced at Emily. "That's Naomi."

The red head's eyes grew wide with surprise. "That's her?"

The older woman nodded. "That man playing the piano is my husband."

"Wow. He's so talented!" Emily exclaimed. "Who painted it?"

"He did." Gina replied.

"B-but how?" Emily asked, her forehead folding into a crease, confused.

"I took a picture of them." Gina answered. "He loved it so much that he made a painting out of it."

"Your husband." The red head beamed. "Is the coolest person ever." She let out a soft chuckle. "I wish I had a chance to meet him."

"He's very much like Naomi." The older woman replied, circling her arm around Emily's shoulder. "He's pretty stubborn and cranky." She fell into a snigger. "I used to think he has a disorder or something."

Emily couldn't help but laugh at the certain coincidence. "Let me guess." She muttered. "You can't get his mood."

"Exactly dear." Gina agreed. "It took me quite a while before I got a hang of it." She added. "He's not naturally sweet, but when he's making an effort to be, he could be the sweetest person you'll ever know."

"Yeah, could be." The red head mumbled, smiling more to herself as she relived certain moments.

"I think we should sit down. The tea's getting cold." Gina stated, leading Emily to the couch and handing her a cup of tea as they settled down. "Did I ever tell you that Naomi knows how to play the piano?" She asked after taking a sip from her cup.

Emily shook her head. "She does?"

"Yes. She used to paint too." The older woman added. "But she stopped doing a lot of things after what happened, even after she met Effy."

"How old was she when he died?"

"She was ten." Gina answered. "It had been so hard for her to cope up. She used to be so cheerful, used to smile a lot but she changed. She built walls around her and kept everyone out. She didn't want to open up to anybody, didn't want to talk about what happened to her dad. She'd always want to be left alone. And she never cried, at least not in front of someone." The older woman continued with a sad smile. "But I know the old her is still there. I know it is." She sighed wearily.

Emily inched closer to the older woman and wrapped her arms around her shoulders and gave it a comforting squeeze. "She'll come back." She whispered reassuringly. "Just give her time."

"I know." Gina smiled and placed her hand above the red head's.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi frowned as she stepped out of her car, seeing the house dark and seemingly empty. She scurried inside, bolting straight to Emily's room and scowling upon not finding the red head in there. She went to her own room and fished her phone out, quickly pressing speed dial one. She paced back and forth in front of her bedroom window, stretching her neck from time to time to look for any signs of Emily down the path, as she waited for her to pick up.

"Naomi."

"Where are you?" She blurted out. "Are you with Freddie?" She instantaneously asked, grimacing once she realized how stupid she sounded. She smiled though when she heard the red head giggling on the other line.

"No I'm not." Emily answered in between her giggles. "You keep asking about him. I'm starting to think you're jealous of Freddie."

"W-What?" She stuttered. "Me? Jealous?" She chuffed out loud. "Of course I'm not. Why would I be?"

"I'm kidding Naomi." The red head bantered. "Relax yeah?"

"W-Well-" Naomi's lips quivered. "You didn't answer my question! Where the fuck are you?"

"Why are you so wound up?" Emily chuckled. "I'm in your room."

"My room?" Naomi started to move around, searching for the red head. "I'm in my fucking room and you're not here."

"Is this you?" Emily blurted out. "You look so cute! You're wearing a uniform."

It was only then when Naomi figured everything out. "Oh, you're at Mum's house." She murmured. "Yeah, that's me during middle school."

"Your Mum asked me to stay, since it's already late. Told me to sleep in your room." The red head replied. "Did you do this?"

"What?" Naomi asked as she sat on the middle of her bed.

"Fingerprint painting. Are these your prints?"

"Yeah, mine and my dad's." The blonde answered.

"It's pretty."

Naomi smiled. "You see that photo frame on my desk?"

"Yeah. Is this him?"

The blonde swallowed hard before answering. "Yeah that's him. With me and Mum."

"He looks quite like you." Emily muttered. "His eyes are blue like yours and his nose, you got his nose. Oh."

"What?"

"This picture." The red head said, stumbling upon another photo. "This is the one he made a painting out of. You, sitting on top of the piano."

"It's my favorite." Naomi replied before heaving a long sigh. "He finished it, t-the night before he died." She took another swallow, pushing back the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "H-he got hit by a car, t-to save me." She closed her eyes, letting the tears fall down on her cheeks, the tears she had been keeping hold of almost half of her entire life. She knew Emily could hear but she didn't stop, nor did she care. She just wanted to be free, be free of a burden she had been carrying for so long. And she knew Emily would understand, among all people, she'd be the only one who'll understand.

She shuffled on her bed and rested her back on the head board, tipping her head up to rest against the cold, hard, wall, her knees buckled up before her chest. "I-I was running down the street with him following me and t-then a car came speeding down. A-and before I knew it, before I knew it-" She bit her lip hard to muffle her sobs. "H-he pushed me away and I p-passed out on the pavement because I hit my head somewhere."

"Naomi." Emily softly called out, her voice full of concern.

"I w-woke up in the hospital and the next thing I knew, h-he was dead."

"Nai-nai."

"I-I blamed myself for what happened. I stopped talking. I'd lock myself in my room. Everything was my fault Em. Everything was."

"Nai-nai, it wasn't." Emily muttered. "You don't have anything to do with it."

"But it's because of me." The blonde retorted, gripping her phone tight as she shed another wave of tears. "He died because of me."

"Stop blaming yourself. Please." The red head pleaded, hearing the muffled cries coming from Naomi. "Don't cry." She took a deep breath, her eyes stinging as well. Because Naomi was in pain, and Naomi's pain was her pain. "Do you think your dad would like it if you continue to blame yourself?"

"I don't know."

"He wouldn't Nai-nai. He loves you and he doesn't want you to suffer. I'm sure he doesn't blame you either." Emily replied reassuringly. "Don't cry, please." The line went silent for minutes, the longest minutes Emily had ever been into, as she waited patiently for Naomi to calm herself, the sound of her muffled sobs slowly being replaced by little sniffs and long, deep breaths.

"Who's crying?" Naomi murmured after taking one last deep breath. "I'm not crying." She wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"No one." Emily answered with a hint of smile on her voice. "Nobody's crying."

"Did you just call me Nai-nai?" The blonde blurted out, still sniffing a tad bit.

"Yeah, I did."

"You really think I look like a bloody horse?"

"What?" Emily scowled. "Naomi, don't start."

"I'm not." Naomi fell into a soft snigger. "I'm actually starting to love it."

"Well." The red head smiled smugly. "Told you it's pretty."

"Right." The other girl snorted.

A long comforting silence fell, and an exchange of deep, heavy breaths that somehow sounded like music to their ears.

"Nai-nai."

"Hmm?"

"What are these jars for?" Emily asked. "These ones full of folded papers in it."

"Effy made those for me when we were young." Naomi answered. "She said, every time she sees me sad, she'd make a note for me to read and make me smile. I kept them in those jars."

"Oh." Emily replied, biting her lip to hide the pain in her voice. "I take it you were sad most of the time." She joked, trying to sound funny as much as she can, yet she couldn't. It still sounded forced.

"Pretty much." The blonde muttered on the other line.

"She made you smile a lot I guess."

"She did." Naomi answered happily, oblivious of the hurting red head. "Up till now."

"Well, that's nice to know then." Emily bit her lip, her voice sounding so much huskier as it was almost cracking down.

"Em, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." The red head swallowed, pausing for a moment to compose herself. "I'm just a bit tired."

"You should go to sleep."

"I will, in a minute." She sighed. "You go--shit!"

"Emily? Are you alright?" Naomi asked, jerking up from her seat as she heard tiny squeals coming from Emily. "Hey, what's happening?" Another squeal instead of an answer. "Emily!"

"I'm alright."

The blonde heaved a sigh of relief. "What's wrong?"

"Thunder."

"What?"

"I'm scared of loud thunders."

Naomi turned her head to look at her bedroom window, flinching a bit when she saw the flash of lightning mark the sky. "Oh, it's raining."

"I'm scared."

"Emily calm down. It's just rain." The blonde replied comfortingly, hearing Emily's trembling voice over the phone. "It's not gonna hurt you." She could hear the rustling of the sheets and she was pretty sure that the red head was hiding under the covers. "Go to sleep yeah?"

"I can't sleep." Emily mumbled, cringing when she heard a loud thunder roar. "Naomi, I'm scared. I'm really scared." She barely whispered as she was near to bursting into tears. She closed her eyes and took one of the pillows to cover her head, muffling her screams.

"Sssh, Em. Listen to me." Naomi gently shushed as she tried to turn the red head's attention away from the raging thunders. "Fucking hell." She blurted out when the lights suddenly flickered, causing another strangled scream from the red head.

"I'm scared."

"Alright, hang on." The blonde jumped up from her bed and grabbed her car keys from the nightstand, practically running down the stairs. She bolted out to the door and scurried to her car, her mobile still burning in her ears. "Listen Em. Close your eyes and wait for me yeah?"

"Don't hang up." Emily answered. "I need to hear you."

"I won't."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"Clark, where's Mum?" Naomi asked as she burst into the huge doors of her mum's house, the good chauffeur greeting her.

"I believe she's already in her room." He answered. "And Ms. Emily's in your room."

"I know that." She replied. "Thanks." She spun around on her heels and ran through the hall, heading to her room straight away. She stopped in front of her door, twisting the knob gently so as to not startle or scare Emily further. "Em." She softly called out, spotting the red head hidden under the rusty maroon covers, just as she thought, curled up like a baby. She slowly stepped inside and closed the door gently, shrugging out of her coat as she sat on the edge of the bed. She could feel Emily's body trembling from where she was sitting, which made her reach out to the red head instantaneously, lightly pulling the covers down. She watched when Emily lifted the pillow from her head, the tears dripping from her eyes down to the sheets. She caught a lone tear streaming down, Emily flinching from another thunder that roared. "Scoot over." She muttered and slipped under the covers when the red head moved.

Emily rolled quickly to her side and buried her face on Naomi's chest when another loud thunder echoed across the room, her hands gripping the blonde's clothes tight. Naomi wrapped her arms around Emily's shoulder, rubbing the red head's back as well to soothe her down. She could feel Emily's arms encircling around her waist as she nuzzled on her neck, her warm but quick breaths hitting her skin. Emily's hold on her would tighten every time she flinched and, in return, she'd whisper words of comfort in her ear and kiss the top of her hair.

"Nai-nai, I'm scared."

"Shh, don't be. See, I'm here already. Get to sleep."

How she wished that there'd be thunderstorms every fucking day. And if there'd be none, she'd gladly pay for cloud seeding just to make it rain.


	22. The lost gift

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 22

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_"Although, she had to admit she loved the sight of them laughing together over the silliest things she had done back when she was young. They seemed to be getting along so well that a certain fear started to build in her chest. She didn't want this sight to fade away. She would always want to see it, would always love to."_

**A/N: **Chapter 22! *wiggles* Hope you guys like it! And don't hate Effy that much. ^^ Thanks for all the awesome comments and reviews! I managed to borrow a laptop for today, I don't know about the following days though. .

**To Suiceene:** Regarding this part of the sentence you mentioned, "She fell into a snigger." I may have used the wrong word there, thanks for pointing that out. Gina's not bad. ^^ Sorry for the mistake! XD

Naomi stirred from her sleep, rolling over to her side as she stretched out wide and let out a huge yawn. She rolled back and slowly fluttered her eyes open, her gaze instantaneously falling on Emily's fidgeting fingers. She lazily dragged her eyes up, as they seemed to be still adjusting from the sunlight filling the room, and saw the red head already awake, with her back leaning against the headboard, her bottom lip caught in between her teeth.

"Hey." Emily called out upon seeing the blonde already awake, offering a sheepish smile. "Good morning."

Naomi shifted on her bed so that she was also sat up, positioning herself a few inches away from the red head. "Slept well?" She asked, her voice thick with sleep.

Emily heaved a deep sigh and ignored the question. "I'm sorry about last night." She muttered instead.

The blonde's forehead folded into a crease. "What for?" She yawned, mumbling in between it.

"You know." Emily shrugged. "For making you come here." She dropped her gaze to her still fidgeting fingers, afraid to meet Naomi's eyes. "For comforting me."

"Aren't you supposed to be saying thank you?"

"Well yeah, that too."

"Why are you saying sorry then?"

"Because-" Emily paused as she lifted her gaze to face the confused blonde. "I was supposed to be the one who was comforting you last night." She continued, the corner of her lips quivering. "I mean, what you were feeling was much more important than my shitty fear." She blew out a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I was the one who should've come to you and not the other way around." She murmured almost inaudibly. "I could've been braver you know? Or at least acted like it, somehow."

Naomi pressed her lips in a tight line, her forehead continuing to crumple. "Don't be." She muttered coldly after a short pause. "I don't need your pity Em."

"It's not pity Naomi." Emily retorted, the words rolling out from her mouth fast.

"Then what is it?"

"It's, it's just that I-I feel fucking useless you know?" The red head blurted out. "I know how hard it was for you to open up, I mean, to open up to me. And all I did was to try and calm you down, stop you from crying." Emily buckled her knees, her arms circling around them as she tipped her head up. "I didn't even think that maybe crying was the one thing you needed to get it all out. Break free from everything."

"Emily." Naomi called out exasperatedly. It's too early for all of this, for fuck's sake.

"And then there's this fucking fear of thunder that I have, which didn't help at all." The red head scowled, more to herself, thinking how stupid she must have been and might have looked like. "I wanted to be there for you Naomi, not because I pity you or anything. I just, I know I wanted to."

"Emily!" Naomi called out, louder than the first, breaking off the red head's ranting. She waited until Emily's eyes were fixed on hers. "When you want to comfort somebody, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to hug them or do mushy things and shit like that for them." She paused and caught her breath. "Sometimes, the best thing to do is to just listen." She slipped out of the covers and stood up, leaving Emily contemplating on the wide bed.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

After spending the bright day that followed that particular stormy night at Gina's house, much to the older woman's request, Naomi breathed a sigh of relief once she and Emily were already inside the comfort of their own house. She couldn't be more thankful that the day was almost over, what with spending most of it looking at her baby photos and re-telling the most memorable yet quite embarrassing moments of her life, all thanks to her Mum who seemed to be so amused with Emily. The only thing she could do was to bury her face in her palms and grumble to herself as her Mum and the red head talked about her like she wasn't with them at all. Although, she had to admit she loved the sight of them laughing together over the silliest things she had done back when she was young. They seemed to be getting along so well that a certain fear started to build in her chest. She didn't want this sight to fade away. She would always want to see it, would always love to.

"Do you think it'll rain again tonight?" She asked as she dropped herself on their comfy couch.

"I hope not. It's gonna scare me again." The red head replied, standing near the window to check the weather.

"That's the idea." Naomi murmured to herself, dropping her tone.

"What was that?"

"N-nothing." The blonde shook her head exceedingly as she pressed her lips on a tight line.

"Hey." Emily softly called out and waited for Naomi to turn her gaze towards her. "I haven't thanked you properly for last night." She smiled. "Thanks." She paused, biting her lip. "And sorry for the early morning rambling." She grimaced upon remembering.

Naomi merely shrugged her shoulders. "Anytime."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

The next morning, Naomi stretched out wide, her toes curling as she stirred and woke from her deep sleep. She jumped from her bed, practically running downstairs for breakfast when her eyes caught Emily stooped down on the desk, fast asleep, her head leaning against her arms. Naomi slowed down, tiptoeing back to her room to get her duvet and a comfy pillow, bringing it down with her. She walked quietly towards the sleeping red head, slipping the pillow between her head and her arms. She spread the duvet out and was about to cover Emily when the red head suddenly stirred from her sleep, causing Naomi to quickly throw the duvet on the nearby couch. She pretended to be standing there and looking at the view on the window, while watching Emily as she completely rose from her sleep, at the corner of her eyes.

"Good morning." The red head greeted with a smile as soon as she recognized the figure standing near her.

"Why are you sleeping here?" Naomi couldn't help but ask.

"I stayed up late last night." Emily answered, her voice deeper and huskier than usual. "I needed to finish the weekly synopsis I have to give to Freddie." She continued, stifling a yawn as she spoke.

Naomi snorted, to Emily's surprise. "That's what the pocket pc is for Em. So you can do stuff on your room." She turned her head, facing the red head. "At the comfort of your own bed." She drawled out, letting the words roll out of her tongue slowly to stress her point.

Emily rolled her eyes. "I fail at technology okay?" She hissed. "Why are you up so early anyway?"

"It's already ten o'clock." The blonde retorted, turning her back from Emily as she headed to the kitchen.

The red head's eyes grew wide with horror. She turned the monitor on, checking up the time on the computer. "Fuck!" She cursed out loud, fumbling with the mouse as she hurriedly printed out her work. She sprang up to her feet and scurried upstairs, sliding under the showers and washing up as fast as she could. She was supposed to meet Freddie at around eleven and she was so fucking late.

It took her a good thirty minutes to finish fixing herself, not bothering to straighten up her hair. She ran down, grabbing her bag on the desk and her recently printed synopsis from the printer. "Naomi!" She called out from the living room.

"What?" Came a muffled reply from the blonde, who seemed to be eating in the kitchen.

"I'll be going out for a bit to meet Freddie yeah?"

"What?" Naomi cried out in surprise. "B-but, what about lunch?"

"Can you cook something for yourself?" She asked while putting on her shoes. "It's just for now. I'll make it up to you on dinner."

"What if Freddie asked you to dinner?" The blonde asked, anxious.

"I promised you dinner, didn't I?" Emily shouted back. "Unless, you could wait."

"No! Don't!" Naomi paused. "I-I mean, I don't wanna wait."

"I figured." Emily smiled to herself. "I'll go now." She turned around, her eyes quickly spotting the pillow on the desk and the never used duvet sprawled all over the couch. She was in such a hurry that she hadn't noticed the pillow that had been slipped under her head earlier. A small appreciative smile fell on her lips and she dashed to the kitchen, taking the time to thank Naomi properly. She found her seated on her usual spot on the dining table, a glass of orange juice clutched in hand, nibbling on a small plateful of strawberry cheesecake.

"I thought you're leaving?" Naomi asked, her brow arching.

"I was." Emily mumbled. "But I wanted to thank you first. I mean, for the pillow and the duvet." Her eyes didn't miss the faint blush that crept on Naomi's cheeks.

The blonde, in turn, answered with a half nod. "You'll be late. Freddie hates it when people are late."

"Right." The red head bit her lip. "I'll go ahead then."

"Em." Naomi suddenly called before Emily had even left.

The red head quickly peered over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"D-Do you want me to come with you?" The blonde stuttered, taking huge gulps to hide the shaking in her voice. "I mean, I-I could drive you around." She let out a soft shrug.

"Nah, I'll just take the bus, so you could rest yeah?" Emily smiled. "But thanks for the offer."

"Em." The blonde called again as she gripped the table, sitting almost at the edge of her seat.

"Nai-nai?"

"Don't give him brownies." Naomi mumbled almost inaudibly. "Shit! I mean, t-take care." She smiled sheepishly, not being able to look at Emily straight in the eye, though she didn't miss the slight blush on the red head's cheeks and the surprise in her eyes.

"Thanks." Emily bit her lip, stifling a grin. "You too."

Naomi watched as Emily headed towards the front door, her eyes boring into the red head's back until she completely disappeared from her sight, a gratified smile shaping in her lips.

Freddie would never ever have brownies. Mwahaha.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily hurriedly clambered down the bus and dashed inside the building, barely making it to the lift, her body quickly slipping in between the closing doors. She dropped her weight against the lift walls as she let herself catch her breath. She fumbled in her bag, searching for her pocket pc to check the time, her heart hammering out loud when her nimble fingers couldn't make out the rectangular shape she was looking for. "Fuck's sake." She grumbled, dipping her head inside her bag as she frantically looked for the black thing, her heart sinking down to the pit of her stomach as soon as she found out that her pocket pc was missing. She bolted outside as soon as the lift doors swung open, crouching down the floor at a safe spot she had found. She emptied the contents of her bag on the tiled floor, a lump forming on her throat as the truth hit her the second time.

Her pocket pc was fucking missing.

Oh my god.

She's so dead.

She stood up, practically dragging herself down the hallway, her steps heavy as she made her way to Freddie's office. She just felt like she wanted to go home all of a sudden, not at all worried about the fit that Naomi was going to throw when she finds out, because she knew she somehow deserved it. She was more concerned of the fact that she lost Naomi's gift to her in the most stupid way she could ever think of, regretting how she did not take care of it that much.

She was so lost in her daze that she failed to notice that the door of Freddie's office was already open, with Freddie standing before her, staring with concerned eyes.

"Emily, did something happen?" He asked as he led the red head to the couch.

Emily softly shook her head. "Erm, Freddie."

"Yeah?"

"Can I just leave my synopsis here and talk about it some other time? I-I really need to go home."

"Is something wrong?" Freddie worriedly asked. "Maybe I can help."

Emily heaved a sad sigh. "I lost my pocket pc on my way here."

"Oh, right." He replied. "I'm sorry about that." He paused. "Are you gonna buy a new one? I could come with you if you want."

"No." She mumbled, shaking her head. "It was Naomi's gift to me. It won't feel the same if I buy a new one." She continued with a sad smile. "Thanks for the offer though."

"I see." Freddie nodded. "Well, if you really feel like you need to get going, it's fine, don't worry."

"Thank you." She slowly stood up, offering a faint smile at the good man before stepping out of his office.

"Emily."

"Yeah?"

"If you want, I could drive you home." Freddie suggested. "It's the least thing I could do to help."

The red head hesitated for a moment before nodding to Freddie. After all, she was too pre-occupied with things that it might not be pretty sensible for her to go home alone.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"Thanks for the ride." Emily muttered as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "Do you want to come inside?"

Freddie shook his head. "I need to get back to the office. Probably next time." He smiled.

Emily nodded her head lightly and stepped out of the car, sending a timid wave to Freddie as he drove off. She took a deep breath before she turned around, her shaking hand twisting the door handle nervously, and stepped inside.

"Oh, you're home this early." Naomi called out as she sat from the couch, seeing the red head emerging from the front door. "Thought you're gonna be quite late." She turned the telly off, watching Emily with questions forming in her eyes.

Emily slipped out of her shoes and walked slowly towards the blonde. She stood a few inches away from her, her head bent down to hide the guilt that was strongly evident on her face.

"What's up with you?" Naomi asked, her forehead creasing. "You look like you're caught stealing some bloody candy or something." She bantered.

The red head chewed her bottom lip as she looked at Naomi from under her lids. "Naomi." She barely whispered.

"What?"

"I-I've got something to tell you." The red head stammered.

"What?" Naomi replied casually.

"Remember the pocket pc you gave me?" Emily nervously asked, her whole body starting to tremble. She swallowed hard as she saw Naomi nod to answer. "I-I lost it, on my way to Freddie's."

"What?" Naomi's aggravated voice rang around the whole house, making Emily flinch. "What the fuck Em?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" She broke off as she eyed Naomi who shuffled from her seat. "I was in a rush. It probably fell from my bag."

Naomi covered her face with her hand, scrunching it all together. "Christ Em! It's not that fucking little to be left on the bus without you noticing it at all." She spat. "Are you that stupid?"

"I never meant to lose it!" Emily shouted back. "I was hurrying to get off the bus."

"You could have at least checked! Could've glanced back on your seat somehow." Naomi retorted. "Jesus! How can one person be so careless and stupid?" She spat.

"I'm feeling down already yeah?" The red head screamed all of a sudden. "So don't fucking rub it in!"

Naomi chuffed out loud. "Now you're the one who's getting angry?" She cried in disbelief. "I can't believe you. See if I'll buy you anything again."

Emily quickly turned around, her eyes stinging with tears as she ran up to her room. She slammed the door shut furiously, locking it before dropping her body on the bed, her streaking tears soaking the pillow sheets as she cried hard.

She didn't come out of her room the whole night.

No words were spoken over breakfast next morning, just heavy sighs and clattering plates filling the air. Though, Emily perfectly knew that she shouldn't have walked out on Naomi last night, after all, she was the one at fault. The blonde, on the other hand, had realized that she had been too harsh with Emily, her temper getting the better of her again, like it almost always did. They both watched each other's movements at the corner of their eyes, avoiding each other's gazes as much as they could. The awkward atmosphere thickened more in each passing second, the silence getting painfully agonizing by each moment as it dragged on.

"Sorry." It was Emily who succumbed first. She gently put her fork down and clasped her hands together under the table. "I know I should've taken better care of it."

Naomi pressed her lips in a tight line before heaving a sigh. "Are you going to be busy today?"

Emily softly shook her head. "I'm not really in the mood to write anything." She paused. "Why?"

"Get ready then. We're going somewhere." Naomi slipped out of her seat and headed out of the kitchen, pausing after a few steps. She peered over her shoulder, her gaze falling into Emily's confused face. "Don't lose it this time." She muttered and continued marching towards her room.

The red head let out a small laugh, gnawing on her bottom lip to stop herself from grinning. She stood up as well and cleaned the table, heading to her room straightaway to fix herself.

Sometimes, Naomi could just be so damn strange.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"What's taking her so long?" Naomi grumbled as she waited inside her car, rolling her eyes when the red head finally came to view. "You're slower than a turtle." She blurted out when Emily hopped in. As far as she knew, she's the model, yet she finished getting ready much quicker than the red head did.

"I had to clean the dishes you know. Won't wash themselves, would they?" Emily retorted. "Why are you in a hurry anyway?"

"I'm not." Naomi replied, eyes glued on the road they were now trailing. "I just hate it when people make me wait."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Diva."

"Oi!" Naomi cried out, her gaze flickering between the red head and the road. "I'm no bloody diva yeah?"

The red head fell into a snigger. "Wonder what makes you different from the other Campbell." She bantered.

"Anger management. I've got better."

"Right." Emily snorted. "I'm actually surprised you haven't tried strangling my neck."

"You know what?" Naomi broke into a wide grin. "You just gave me a nice idea. Might wanna try that one of these days."

"Meanie." The red head hissed.

"Slowpoke."

"Bitch."

"Cow."

Emily was about to throw another banter when Naomi's phone suddenly rang, instantaneously stopping her from doing so. She closed her mouth, biting the inside of her cheek as she was pretty sure who the caller was.

"Hey Eff."

She knew it. She fucking knew it.

She quickly averted her gaze, fixing her eyes on the streets they were passing by instead.

"Erm, now?" She heard Naomi speak, the fucking sharp twinge piercing her heart again, unaware of the apprehensive gaze that the blonde threw towards her.

"Alright. I'm coming." Emily shut her eyes tight as she heard the words escape from Naomi's lips. She bit her lip, probably too hard because she could taste the blood in it.

"Em."

Emily slowly turned her head around, already knowing what Naomi would say, though the fact still hurt her all the same even if she knew. Naomi chose Effy. She always did and probably, would always do.

"Can you go alone?"

Emily shook her head. "I don't want to."

The blonde heaved a deep sigh. "I'll drop you off okay? But I'll be back by seven and we'll go eat dinner together." Naomi muttered, offering a small yet assuring smile. "I'll meet you at the front door."

"I'll wait for you then." The red head managed to speak, returning the smile. She felt a little lighter somehow. At least Naomi was going back for her.

That's definitely progress.

She stepped out of the car, closing the door carefully, and watched as it completely disappeared from her sight, her heart sinking down on the pit of her stomach.


	23. A one sided relationship

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 23

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **When someone gives up because of too much hurting.

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update! I don't know if this chap would make up, but I'm hoping you all would like it. Thanks again for the comments and reviews!

"You came."

"You sounded upset over the phone." Naomi replied, grimacing as soon as she spotted Effy seated on the bar stool near the kitchen, the brunette almost off her face. "Eff, stop that." She blurted out as she drew near, stealing the shot glass from the brunette's hand. "Why are you trying to get drunk this fucking early?"

Effy's lips curled up into her classic smirk. "Nothing. Just want to." She stood up and grabbed another shot glass, pouring vodka in it. She offered it to Naomi who in turn, shook her head.

"I'm driving Eff. Can't drink." Naomi replied, sitting on the stool right next to the other girl.

The brunette's eyebrow quirked but she didn't say anything. She took the glass back instead and brought it to her lips, downing it in one go.

"Christ! Stop it yeah?" Naomi shouted, taking the bottle of vodka itself and bringing it to her side of the counter, somewhere where the brunette can't reach for it. "How many did you have already?"

"Don't know." Effy shrugged. "Don't care."

The blonde let out a weary sigh, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. "Did something happen?" She anxiously asked, rolling her eyes when Effy chose not to answer. Typical Effy.

"How's Emily?"

Naomi's brow shot up in surprise, forgetting the fact that the brunette had ignored her question. "Erm, she's doing fine." She answered with hesitation. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing." Effy murmured. "Is it bad to ask about her?"

"No, no. Of course not." The blonde shook her head. "I didn't mean it that way." She reached for the bottle of orange juice she spotted over the counter and poured a glassful for herself, perfectly aware of Effy's gaze watching her every move.

"Do you like her that much?"

Naomi felt herself choking at the orange juice she was drinking, the liquid nearly splattering all over the bar counter. Effy's question caught her entirely off guard. "What?" She asked in between coughs, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Well, do you?" The brunette continued, her brow quirking. "Do you like her more than me now?"

"Jesus!" Naomi blew an exasperated breath and slammed the glass against the counter, rolling her eyes. "What are you even on about Effy?"

"I don't like her." Effy quickly shifted her gaze back to her moist shot glass, her lean fingers wiping the beads of water that had formed around it.

"What?" She cried out as the brunette's words confused her more. "Stop fucking playing mind games with me Eff."

"I don't like her." Effy repeated, eyes still glued to the shot glass. "Because she's taking you away from me." She barely whispered, quite unsure if she wanted the words to reach the blonde's ears or not, but felt the need to say it nonetheless.

"That's bloody ridiculous Eff." Naomi chuffed out loud. "We're friends. We've been friends since forever."

"I don't even know why I'm clinging to you this much." The brunette continued, completely ignoring Naomi's remarks. "I'm clinging to you even if I'm fucking in love with someone else." She scoffed, tipping her head up as she took a quiet deep breath. "I'm in love with Freddie, fucking in love with him, yet, I still get jealous of Emily. Because I want to keep hold of you."

"Effy."

"I'm selfish. I know." She paused and closed her eyes for a little while, momentarily lost on her own train of thoughts. "But I just can't seem to let you go Naomi." She brought her head down and slowly turned to meet the blonde's eyes. "I can't because every time I try, it hurts. It fucking hurts."

It took quite a while before Naomi could respond, her eyes growing wide with surprise once the weight of Effy's words began to sink in. She swallowed hard, feeling the need of doing so as her throat had suddenly gone dry. "Eff." She managed to huff out as she struggled to think of anything coherent to say, yet she came up empty. Instead, she continued to stare at Effy's electric blue eyes, allowing the brunette to read her inside and out, to read the thoughts that she couldn't afford to muster and articulate into sensible words, words that she couldn't find the strength to say. She liked Effy, liked her for the longest time she could even remember. And she's determined to hold onto her, until Effy herself tells her to let go.

"Don't let go of me Naomi." Effy barely whispered. "Don't leave me."

"I won't." Naomi breathlessly answered. "I'll never let go unless you want me to."

Though somehow, as she said those words, she felt a certain twinge of guilt rise up on her chest.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily glanced at her watch as she shuffled on the bench she was seated at, scowling upon seeing that it was way past nine and still no Naomi in sight. She had been waiting outside the mall for six hours already, having been dropped off at around three in the afternoon. She hadn't been inside ever since she had been dropped off, hadn't been able to check on any pocket pc that she'd possibly like because she wanted Naomi to be there with her when she'd go over the gadgets. She sighed and bent down to reach for her legs, which were badly aching from standing for the first few hours of her wait and from pacing back and forth as she searched for any signs of the blonde, massaging them gently as she tried not to wince. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and watched as the number of people coming in and out of the mall slowly diminished, the mall lights being switched off one by one. She fished her phone out and pressed speed dial one, trying to get Naomi to pick up her call for God knows how many times already.

"Fuck's sake." She cursed under her breath when her call had reached its end without being answered again, for the umpteenth time already, taking it as a sign to just fuck off and head home. She looked around for one last time, her neck outstretched as she roamed her eyes, scolding herself not long after when she realized that she was still hoping that Naomi would magically appear in front of her, because really, why would Naomi opt to spend time with her when she's already having the time of her life with Effy? She heaved a deep sigh before turning around, heading for the bus stop as she started to make her way home, alone like almost always.

She leaned her head against the cold bus window and glumly watched the roughly empty streets that they passed by, laughing sadly as the streets perfectly mirrored what she felt inside. She softly banged her head against the glass, banged it over and over as she tried to knock some sense into her.

Naomi wasn't hers and never will be.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid."

She wanted to hate herself for constantly forgetting that this was all a huge pretending, a scheme devised for her and Naomi's benefit, a scheme that was about to end within a month's time.

Falling in love with Naomi was never part of the equation.

_Love._

The word rang loud in her head and she shuffled on her seat to quickly bury her face in her hands, as acceptance began to dawn on her. She had fallen in love with Naomi even if she willed herself not to, fallen in too deep that she didn't have the faintest idea how to heave herself up. It was all unexpected, never really crossed her mind to be honest. She just started to feel things she knew she shouldn't. The way her heart would behave when she's in the same room with Naomi, and the way it would beat wildly if Naomi drew close. How she was driven mad by silence every time Naomi was gone. How she loved talking to her even if they end up bickering most of the time. How she hated every meaningful stare that Naomi gave to Effy, hated the way Naomi would say Effy's name for it sounded much more different than the way Naomi would say hers. And she hated how Naomi would leave her in the middle of nowhere without hesitation just to come to Effy's aid, like she's a fucking superhero who needs to save a damsel in fucking distress.

Though somehow she wished, she was the damsel instead, as crazy as it might sound.

She huffed out loud and swallowed hard, pushing the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat, fighting back the tears that had started to sting her eyes, tears abruptly brought by her very last thought.

The truth, why did it have to fucking hurt all the time?

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

It didn't surprise Emily at all when she found their house dark and empty, though these past few days it wasn't like that. The past days, it became more of a home to her when she and Naomi started to get along, a home and not just a mere bricked edifice used to house two people in it. The past days, they were always together, almost inseparable.

Almost.

She shook her head to break free from her musings and stepped inside the house instead, heading towards the kitchen straightaway to grab something to eat. She rummaged through the fridge and took out the closest things she could find that could pass as a decent meal, tossing them into the counter while she kept on grumbling.

"Making fucking promises but never doing it."

She slammed the door of the fridge and scooped all the food she tossed in the counter with her arms, kicking the kitchen door open so that she could step outside to her garden. She dropped everything on the wooden chair swing and took a seat, her eyes flickering between her planted flowers and the calm sea, meters away from her house. She grabbed a can of root beer and a bag of Twiglets, tearing it open as she furiously stuffed a handful to her mouth, still grumbling under her breath. Her eyes spotted her lilies and for once she wanted to march towards them and pull them all out, though she was able to convince herself that the lilies had nothing to do with it. It wasn't entirely their fault that they were named after that lying blonde girl. She began to seriously consider planting a Venus flytrap somewhere in her garden and name it Effy, albeit being so much sure that the moment Naomi would find out about it, she'd throw a massive fit. She ruled the idea out, thinking that it may do more harm than good because Naomi would side with Effy and she'd just end up as the evil one instead, the immature one. She blew out a deep breath and leaned her back against the chair rest, tipping her head up to look at the sky. She saw the three stars again but this time, the lone star seemed to be standing farther than it used to. Her eyes softened with sadness as she continued to stare, feeling a great deal of sympathy for the star because it seemed like no matter how much efforts it made just to come close and stay, they all become wasted in the end, like there's an invisible force pushing it away from the two because they were meant to be together.

"Fucking hell." She blurted out, quickly averting her gaze from the star as she felt her eyes welling up. "Stupid fucking star. Stop fucking trying you twat!" She spat out, the words more likely directed to herself and not the star.

"Em?"

"Christ!" She jumped, spilling droplets of root beer in the process. She quickly turned around and scowled as soon as she saw who was standing before her. She rolled her eyes but didn't speak.

"When did you get in?" Naomi asked, her voice gentle yet hesitant.

"Does it even matter?" Emily retorted, throwing a heated glare towards the blonde.

Naomi flinched a little at the sound of Emily's tone. "Did you wait that long?"

"Now you're asking?" The red head sneered, rolling her eyes as she threw the pack of Twiglets and slammed the root beer can on the wooden chair swing, starting to march inside to get out of Naomi's sight.

The blonde hurriedly grabbed Emily by the wrist as she passed by her, stopping the red head from walking any further. "Look, I'm sorry." She muttered, her grip on Emily tightening. "I was at Effy's and she passed out and I-"

"I get it Naomi." Emily angrily broke off, feeling the sudden familiar throb rise from her chest. "Save it."

"Em-"

"You could have at least called or answered any of my calls." She mumbled, her words heavy, swallowing hard to push back her tears. "You could have at least told me that you'll have to cancel. So then, I wouldn't have to waste my time and look like a fucking idiot trying to wait for you." She forcefully yanked her hand away from Naomi's grip without looking back. "Or maybe, you shouldn't have invited me in the first place, when you clearly wanted to be with someone else."

Naomi grimaced as she watched Emily walk out on her, scrunching her face with her hand as she drew out deep breaths. She launched herself and bolted into a run to catch up with the red head, grabbing her by the wrist again and turning her around to face her this time. "Emily, will you just wait?"

Emily scoffed out loud. "I'm tired of waiting Naomi." She pulled her hand away furiously. "I don't even want to think of the word."

"Jesus! Why are you so upset?" Naomi suddenly blurted out, feeling her own temper rise. "Fine, I'm a total cow for making you wait. But I said I'm sorry."

"It's not just about making me wait Naomi." Emily spat back, her fingers curling into fists. "It's about making fucking promises when you don't have the intention of fulfilling them." She started to scream her words. "Do you really think I'm that fucking stupid Naomi?"

"Jesus fucking Christ Emily! It's not like I knew Effy would call!" The blonde exclaimed, her hands flailing in the air. "Besides you could have just left!"

"I didn't because you promised me you'd get back!" Emily shouted, her cheeks burning red with anger. "All I wanted was one single call Naomi. One call to save me from waiting for fucking nothing. Was that too much to ask?" She lifted her hand to angrily wipe the tears that had started to stream relentlessly on her cheeks.

"What are you? My girlfriend now?" Naomi spat callously, goading Emily to throw something back.

"What?" Emily exclaimed in disbelief.

"You're acting like you're my real fucking girlfriend!" The blonde retorted. "You're demanding things from me." She scowled. "You're taking your role way too seriously Emily."

The red head froze from where she was standing, stopping all of a sudden, her once erupting rage slowly dying down. Naomi's harsh words felt like a hard slap in her face. Her eyes widened with surprise from what she had just heard, the strong throbbing in her chest replacing all the fury that burned within her. She grimaced in disbelief, her eyes squinting as she muttered. "I was only asking for one call Naomi. Would it fucking kill you to be away from Effy for a minute?"

"Leave her out of this Emily." Naomi ran her fingers through her hair, her jaw clenching tight at Emily's words, not liking her tone one bit. "She's got nothing to do with this."

"She's got everything to do with this!" The red head screamed back. "She keeps leading you on and dropping you whenever she wants to."

"You don't know anything yeah?" Naomi spoke, the words barely escaping her gritted teeth. "So don't you ever talk about her that way."

"I may not know anything Naomi but I'm not fucking blind." The red head took a deep breath, her lips quivering, the jealousy she felt growing stronger and completely taking over her as it was fueled by Naomi's every attempt to defend Effy. "She pulls you and then pushes you away. And I'm the one who's taking the piss because you keep making me wait." She tipped her head up, feeling her eyes sting with tears. She didn't want to cry in front of Naomi. She didn't want to show Naomi how much all of this was hurting her. "I don't even know how many times I've waited for you."

"I never told you to wait!" Naomi shouted, making the red head flinch. "It was your own fucking decision so don't fucking blame me!"

Emily's mouth dropped wide open in shock and disbelief, taking her moments before she could answer back. "You know what?" She muttered angrily. "I'm not waiting for you anymore."

"Well thank fuck!" The blonde exclaimed harshly. "Do whatever you fucking like. It's not like I mind because you're nothing to me Emily. You're nothing." She spoke with such weight that it took quite a while before Emily could respond.

The red head swallowed hard, pushing the verging wave of tears threatening to fall. "I know that now." She barely whispered, her voice breaking down as she felt her heart just shatter into a thousand pieces. But she couldn't bring herself to cry. Not here, not now. "Until now I can't figure out the reason why I fell in love with you." She watched as Naomi's expression change from anger to shock, her blue eyes circling wide upon her sudden confession. Yet it didn't stop her from blurting everything out. Suddenly, everything became too much. She felt like she was going to explode if she didn't let it all out. "It was probably the most stupid thing I've ever done in my entire life. Allowing myself to fall in love with somebody like you." She shook her head, shaking the tears away. "But it's going to be different now, coz from now on, you're nothing to me too Naomi." She muttered, her voice stronger than earlier, her words firm. She eyed the blonde with one last hateful glare before turning around and bolting out to the front door.

She left with a shattered heart that she didn't know if it could ever be whole again.


	24. Confusion

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 24

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Some swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **When things just get so confusing and somebody tries to step up.

**A/N: **Hey guys, sorry for the late update. Erm, it's not so late though. Lol. Thanks for the comments and reviews! Really awesome!

She walked through the seemingly endless, empty streets, the coldness of the night sinking under her skin. She wrapped her arms around herself and kept her head low as she walked, the relentless flowing tears blurring her already clouded vision. She kept her jagged breaths short, feeling a pang of pain spread across her chest whenever she tried breathing deeply. She never knew heartaches could be felt in the flesh too, like being heartbroken in the literal sense, or maybe the pain was just all too much to bear that she could feel it taking all over her fragile, little body.

If only her heart would stop beating, then maybe it wouldn't hurt this much.

Her grip on her arms tightened as she replayed the scenes on her head, as much ironic as it would sound because she was just inflicting more wounds to her already scarred heart, wishing that somehow, somewhere in those scenes she'd find hope, hope that everything was just a lie, that Naomi didn't mean anything she said. She scoffed though at her pathetic attempts to ease her broken heart, because really, how would Naomi's words even be untrue when she looked like she meant every single thing she had just said?

"_You're nothing to me Emily. You're nothing." _

She hugged herself tighter, merely for the reason that she could stay standing upright and continue walking, however aimlessly it was, the sudden memory of those hateful words bringing an abrupt surge of pain in her, weakening her entirely, her knees wobbling awfully. She stopped for a short moment, taking quick, shallow huffs to somehow calm herself, to prevent herself from breaking down completely right in the middle of the well lighted street, to at least save some dignity when Naomi seemed to have taken everything away from her. She couldn't help but flinch at the mere thought of the blonde's name, the name itself bringing a brand new wave of tears along with it. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard.

She's fucked as hell and she perfectly knew it.

She fished her phone out, the poor device fumbling in her hands as she struggled to flip it open, and pressed speed dial two. She held it steadily in her ear despite her shaking hand, and waited patiently for her call to be picked up, biting on her bottom lip to muffle her sobs.

"Hello you've reached JJ. I'm liable to social dysfunction, so please be nice."

She cursed under her breath and tried calling a few more times again, only to hear the same line over and over. She used to find it funny but right now, she just can't be arsed. She pulled her phone away from her ear and dialed the last person she knew she should be calling, hesitating for a few beats before pushing her luck, because at this state, she badly needed some help, needed somebody to care and make her feel loved.

Not like how Naomi did.

She screwed her eyes shut and focused on the call she was making instead, not wanting to space out and miss the call entirely. She didn't have to wait that long though, just a ring or two and she was speaking to him already.

"Emily what's up?"

"Freddie." She replied, trying to make it sound that she was alright but was utterly failing.

"Is something wrong?" He worriedly asked. "You sound upset."

"C-Could you please come and see me?" She asked back instead, biting on her lip to stop herself from letting out a sob. "I-I just, I just-"

"Hey, hey, hey." Freddie shushed. "I'll meet you in the playground yeah?"

Emily nodded though Freddie couldn't see, and took a swallow. "Yeah, sure." She softly whispered. "Thanks Freddie."

"It's nothing." He muttered on the other line. "Wait for me okay? I won't be long."

"Okay."

She found herself stumbling on the same swing she sat upon when she first saw Freddie, the same swing she was seated when he first confessed his feelings for her. Somehow she felt a certain twinge of guilt rise in her chest, thinking that she might just be using Freddie for her own comfort, but couldn't really blame herself for that matter because right now, she just needs somebody, someone to hold onto to keep herself alive.

Because deep down, she was dying inside.

She tried convincing herself that this was not all about using Freddie as a scapegoat or any shit like that. It was more of asking a friend for help, for comfort. More of seeking refuge in Freddie's company because being alone and being told that she meant nothing by somebody she loves took all of her strength and resolve. If it wasn't for her instinct and the will to live, she'd probably be dead by now.

Nothing could hurt more than being told right in your face that you don't mean anything.

She shuffled on the swing seat and leaned her head against the chains, her fingers circling around it, her eyes fixed on the road before her, though she wasn't seeing the road, she was seeing something entirely different.

"_Well thank fuck! Do whatever you fucking like. It's not like I mind because you're nothing to me Emily. You're nothing."_

"_I know that now. Until now I can't figure out the reason why I fell in love with you. It was probably the most stupid thing I've ever done in my entire life. Allowing myself to fall in love with somebody like you. But it's going to be different now, coz from now on, you're nothing to me too Naomi."_

She scoffed as she remembered, the truth of Naomi's words, hurting her furthermore. But it was the lies that hurt her most, for she knew well that Naomi would never mean nothing to her, not when she's fallen deeply for her, too fucking deep that what's happening between them was cutting her into pieces.

If the truth hurt, it was the lies that were worst.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Freddie remained true to his word.

He arrived in a matter of minutes, almost running towards Emily with a spare jacket in hand, kneeling before her when he finally reached the swing. He saw the tears in her eyes and couldn't help but reach his hand out, his fingers gently wiping the fallen tears away. He smiled, though a little strained, when Emily smiled at him sadly, his jaw clenching tight with resentment as he had a fair idea whom the cause of Emily's tears was. "It's Naomi isn't it?" He watched intently as the red head nodded lightly, shaking his head in disbelief. "Fuck." He cursed under his breath, standing for a while to cover the jacket along Emily's shoulders. "What did she do this time?"

"I don't wanna talk about it Freddie." She gently shook her head. "Please."

"Okay." Freddie answered in a hushed tone. "We won't talk about it."

"I'm sorry for disturbing you this late." She said in between her sniffs.

"Don't be silly Emily." Freddie let out a small smile. "It's alright." He reached out once more, catching the few beads of tears that fell from Emily's already red and puffy eyes. He watched her for a moment, his lips pressed in a line while she silently sobbed. "Come here." He held his hand and waited for the red head to take it, before circling his slender arms around her shoulders, enveloping her into a comforting hug. He gently rubbed Emily's back when he felt her trembling against him as she buried her face and cried hard on his chest, leaning in to kiss the top of Emily's hair. It was a friendly gesture, the only way he knew how to tell the red head that he was there for her always, because he was never good with words. He could feel Emily's hands gripping his already damp shirt tight and it was enough to rip him apart, enough to send him into a decision he never ever thought of making.

Emily deserved more than this, far more than this, and he's determined to give it to her whether Naomi liked it or not.

He gently pulled back from her to look her in the eye, once again wiping the tears away with the pad of his thumb. "Let's get you home." He muttered softly. "You don't mind sleeping at my house tonight right?" He smiled when Emily shook her head. He took her hand and led her to his car, driving off to his house with almost no exchange of words, because it wasn't really needed.

They arrived at his well lighted home, in which Emily couldn't help but compare the comforting atmosphere it exuded, unlike in hers that she often found dark and empty. Freddie took her inside and it was far more soothing just as she thought, the bright yellow lights adding to that warm ambiance the whole house had conjured. They headed straightaway to the kitchen and she slipped in on one of the chairs, quietly watching Freddie as he heated up some soup for her on the stove, hearing him mumble about how the soup would make her feel better and help her get to sleep. Really, it was so easy to fancy Freddie yet she couldn't will herself to. She appreciated him as a friend, nothing more than that.

"Thanks." She softly muttered when Freddie placed down the bowl of soup in front of her. She picked up the spoon and started taking sips from the hot soup, leaving a burning trail at the back of her tongue as she swallowed. It brought a great deal of comfort though when it dropped to her stomach, basking at the warm feeling it gave once it had settled. It was pretty much scrumptious as well that it didn't take her long to finish it all up. It was such a nice feeling that someone cooked for her, and she began to wonder if Naomi felt the same every time she cooked. She heaved a deep sigh and shook her head.

No matter what, her thoughts would always lead her back to Naomi.

Freddie's chair scraped loudly on the floor when he stood up, breaking her from her musings, much to Emily's relief, and poured a glass of water for the red head, handing it over to her as he slipped back to his seat. "You'll sleep in my room tonight." He offered a smile. "And I'll sleep on the couch."

"No, Freddie." Emily protested. "I'll be fine on the couch, really."

"Nonsense." He let out a small chuckle. "You're my guest, so you get to sleep at my room."

"But Freddie-"

"C'mon, let's get you changed." He broke off before Emily could object any further. He led her into his room and rummaged through his cabinet to find the fittest shirt and sweatpants he currently had, tossing them to Emily at once. "Bathroom's there." He lifted his finger and pointed at the white door opposite his shoe rack.

"Thanks." The red head replied.

"I'll leave you now yeah?" Freddie gave a half nod. "Good night Emily."

"Good night."

"Sleep well."

"You too."

Emily waited for Freddie to step out of the room before she headed to the bathroom to change, Freddie's clothes fitting her just right. She crawled to the bed and under the covers, shutting her eyes tight though she knew well that it would take more than that to let herself drift to sleep.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi had no idea how many fucking minutes had passed since Emily had left her standing alone in the kitchen, her blue eyes still circling wide with shock, surprise and disbelief at the many things she had just heard from the red head. She stayed almost motionless, just staring blankly at the direction where Emily had gone, her mouth hanging ajar for the longest time she could remember.

"_From now on, you're nothing to me too Naomi."_

She lifted her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose while she shut her eyes tight, kicking the chair beside her as hard as she could, causing the whole dining table to move, when a wave of mixed emotions coursed through her. She furiously loosened the scarf hanging around her neck and threw it with full force against the wall, huffing out loud as she stooped down and propped her arms on her knees. Suddenly it all became too much, that she felt her knees weakening, her feet giving up on her. She had to cling to the kitchen counter for support when her breath began to quicken its pace, an unexplainable twinge clenching her heart tight as she repeated the words in her head. She turned around and leaned her back against the counter, burying her face in her hands as she blew out a couple of exasperated breaths. As far as she knew she should be happy right now, celebrating in fact with the progress she and Effy were having, but she couldn't, Emily's broken voice ringing in her ears instead. She tipped her head up and slapped her forehead with her open palm, her fingers knotting against her hair. She's mad and pissed off at Emily, yet at the same time, she couldn't hide the fact that she was hurt, badly hurt by Emily's words. Call it pride or whatever the fuck it should be called, but she indeed was.

She decided to leave the kitchen and marched furiously towards her room, slamming the door shut behind her once she had stepped inside. She dropped herself wearily on the carpeted floor and leaned her back against the edge of her bed, her knees buckled up over her chest, spread a tad open with one arm dangling on top of each. She inclined her head upwards and stared blankly at the ceiling, her thoughts spinning into a huge daze as she pondered.

For some reason, Naomi felt that it all was just unfair. Emily sounded like she was making her choose between her and Effy. And really, how could she make a choice when Effy's place in her life was different from Emily's? How could she choose between two people who didn't even have the same stand? She had been with Effy for the longest time ever and she can't just throw her away like that, aside from the fact that it was all supposed to be pretending, her and Emily. Nobody was ever meant to fall for the other, though it was out of her control, Emily falling for her being the ultimate proof of it. If this was the case, she could easily choose Effy, yet a part of her ached whenever she came across the idea of letting Emily go. It was unexplainable, unidentifiable, but she knew she couldn't just let Emily go, couldn't just push her away.

And Effy, she told her she wanted her too. Was that even fucking possible? Wanting two persons at the same time? You're fucking in love with someone but you still want the other? How could that even be fucking fair? Yet this was what she wanted all along, dreamed since forever, Effy's attention, Effy herself.

She lifted her hand to massage her now throbbing temples, feeling a massive headache coming up. This was why she hated thinking too much, avoided analyzing things. And now she was being put under such pressures that she didn't even know if she deserved to go through them. Everything just turned complicated in one night, or maybe it was all complicated from the start. She should've seen this coming, should've prepared for the worst, but she didn't. She curled her fingers into tight fists, controlling the urge to scream out loud. Every single thought was just driving her mental. The more she tried to think, the more she found it hard to figure things out.

"Jesus fucking Christ." She muttered under her breath while she shuffled and shrugged out of her coat, throwing it angrily on the wall opposite her. She kicked her way out of her shoes, the pair of them suffering the same fate as the coat. She threw it so hard that one of the heels snapped. She could feel her body trembling with various emotions pulsating wildly in her veins.

Anger, confusion, pain, guilt, fucking everything.

She tipped her head up, her fingers entangled with her hair. Everything was just so fucking confusing, how one simple fit grew into a massive fight, sending the other to walk out completely, how hateful words thrown could probably scar them for life. With one last aggravated breath, she quickly sprang up to her feet and stepped outside the confinements of her room. It was so fucking quiet that she felt like she was in a mental institution rather than her room at all. She just couldn't deal with this. It was just all too much for her to grasp. She grabbed the pack of fags on top of the table near the front door, slipping into another pair of shoes as she darted outside. She leaned her back against the cold metal of her car, shuddering a little at the coolness of it, and lighted one fag, the long drag she took bringing calming effects on her body at once, though it wasn't enough. She took more drags and lit more, eventually finishing four sticks in such a short period of time.

"Fuck's sake."

She fumbled for another, the shaking of her body somehow alleviated by the nicotine that was now coursing inside her. Despite the hazy smoke that the fags created, her mind had never been clearer. She didn't want to choose, she wasn't going to choose. She'll wait for the three month contract to end. By then, everything might be clearer, everything might have fallen into place.

Her and Effy, Emily and Fr-

"Fucking hell no!" She abruptly shouted and broke her own reverie, shaking her head exceedingly to get rid of the thought. No, not that back stabbing twat Freddie. Anybody but him.

Emily and JJ.

"Jesus Christ!" She spat out vehemently, rolling her eyes.

Her and Emily.

She shut her eyes tight and tipped her head up. "Shit." She turned around, her elbows propping on the roof of her car, her free hand scrunching her face altogether. Her and Emily, it somehow felt right. It sounded right, the thought of it sending warm fuzzy feelings down the pit of her stomach. She let out a strangled groan as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

She's one fucked up mess.

She flicked the fag to the ground and stubbed it out, shutting her mind, completely giving up from thinking things through. It was enough for one day, the massive headache she feared making its way.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi found herself pacing back and forth on the living room next morning upon finding out that Emily didn't come home the previous night. She stopped from time to time to look at the window, her neck craning as she tried to search for any signs of the red head outside, down the path towards their house. She tried convincing herself that she wasn't to blame if Emily didn't come home because she was old enough to decide for her own good. Yet, she couldn't just ignore that certain twinge of guilt in her chest. If she hadn't shouted at her last night, hadn't told her hurtful things, she wouldn't have run away. After all, Emily was her responsibility, which explained the guilt she was feeling.

Yes, that was it, the sense of responsibility getting in on her.

She slumped down onto the couch and crossed her legs, her foot tapping impatiently on the floor. She fished her phone out and considered calling Emily for a while, before all the memories from their fight last night came rushing in. She was mad at Emily, fucking furious actually, that she shouldn't care.

"She left by her own, she should come back by her own." She murmured, convincing herself not to give two fucks about it. She placed her phone back to her pocket and turned the tv on, her eyes glued on the screen, yet her mind flying somewhere else. She jumped when she heard the phone ringing, fumbling over the cordless device as she hurriedly picked it up.

"Hello Emily!" She shouted, instantaneously concluding that it was the red head on the other line. "Where the fuck have you been?"

"No, it's Freddie." She scowled upon realizing who it was. For fuck's sake, it's still early morning and she could feel her temper at boiling point already. "I figured you'd worry, so I called."

"What?" She blurted out.

"Emily's here right now at my house." Did she hear him right? He sounded fucking smug.

Naomi grimaced, her nostrils flaring with unexplainable fury. "What is she doing there?" She retorted. "Let me talk to her."

"She's still sleeping." Freddie replied casually.

"Then tell her to wait there when she wakes up. I'll pick her up." She spoke, the words barely escaping her gritting teeth.

"No need. I'll drive her home." Freddie countered. "I also need to have a word with you."

"About what?"

"I've had enough Naomi." He spoke with so much weight that it actually scared her a little, his sudden seriousness.

"What the fuck?"

"I'm done seeing you treat her like this."

"Fuck off Freddie." She warned, her voice harsh. "It's none of your fucking business."

"It is." He retorted, pausing for a moment to collect his resolve. "It is now, because I've decided to take her away from you Naomi."

She froze, her grip on the cordless phone tightening as the words slowly sank in, her heart frantically beating. She could feel her teeth gnashing together, her jaw clenching stiffly as she blew quick, jagged breaths.

And for the first time in her life, she was rendered speechless.


	25. Karma

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 25

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **"_For the record, she never meant what she said last night, about Emily meaning nothing to her. But she won't admit it out loud, she didn't know why, she just wouldn't. Enough said."_

**A/N: ** The next chapter, finally! XD Sorry for the delay. Apparently, laptop problems + writer's block are life ruiners. I hope you enjoy this one though. I don't know if it's worth the wait.

"You can't hurt her anymore Naomi."

The blonde scoffed out scornfully, much to Freddie's surprise. "And you're a fucking knight in shining armor now?" She spat vehemently, the cordless phone pressed firmly on her ear.

"I'm not trying to play anything." He drawled out, stressing out the seriousness of his claim. "If you can't take care of her, let her go."

_Let her go._

The words rang loudly in her ears, its echoes causing her to fall into complete silence for a few beats, her heavy breathing being the only sound that could be heard. She could feel her jaw clenching tight, her free hand balling into fist as she struggled to find her voice, to come up with some harsh retort she could throw back at him. Yet, it would seem that her mind only bore three words in it, three fucking words constantly spinning around and meddling with her already hazy thoughts.

Taking this as a sign of the other's impuissance, Freddie decided to push his claim. "I can't let you fuck her up over and over Naomi. She deserves better than that."

"How fucking sure are you that she's gonna be happy with you?" She retorted, finally being able to speak, her face grimacing with disbelief and annoyance.

"Simple." Freddie replied, sounding all smug. "I'm not going to treat her the way you did."

"Fuck you." She muttered at once, hard but almost inaudible. "You don't know anything."

"I'm serious about it Naomi. I just need a chance to prove it. "

The line went dead.

A few moments of silence and shallow huffs before the cordless phone came soaring across the living room, the poor device breaking into bits and pieces as it landed with a loud thud on the foot of the staircase.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

She slumped back down wearily on the couch, her hands covering her already contorted face, her exasperated huffs noisily escaping through the spaces between her fingers. She shifted along her seat, so that her head was laid on the couch rest, her fingertips massaging her forehead and sliding them down to pinch the bridge of her nose and back up. "Fucking wanker." She murmured with a hint of utter irritation and subtle resentment. "Who does he think he is?" She could feel her anger rising up above her head as the recent conversation played over and over, Freddie's words resonating loud in her ears. "Fucking conceited cunt." She pressed her fingers against her forehead firmer, applying more pressure, her fingertips almost turning red as she felt another head splitting migraine coming up. She grumbled deeper and let out loud irritated groans, eventually giving up after a few moments as she decided that a cold drink would help cool her head. She marched towards the kitchen, picking up the broken phone first to throw to the bin, and went straight to the fridge, grabbing a can of soda before going out to the garden. She jerked the can open and took a long swig as she sat on the wooden chair swing, the opened pack of Twiglets and the can of root beer Emily had brought out the previous night still there, lying on the exact same place where the red head left them. She gathered them and shoved them down the bin, her eyes then falling on Emily's flower garden, the lilies to be exact. Walking towards it, she stopped a few inches away and stooped down, reaching out to stroke one flower absentmindedly, an incognizant small smile falling on her lips as she remembered their name.

"Nai-nai." She couldn't help but murmur. It was a nice name, really, though it sounded different when she said it. She liked it much better if it's Emily who was saying it, her deep and husky voice making it sound sweet and inviting at the same time, like there's something unique with the way she lets the name roll out of her tongue.

Somehow she wondered if it would sound as nice as it did if Effy said it, albeit not hoping that it would, not at all.

She sat there crouching for countless minutes, the now lukewarm can of soda on one hand, the other continuously tracing the contours of the lily she spotted with her fingers. She knew it was kind of a stupid thing to do because she never really liked flowers in the first place, but it was the only thing that was keeping her sane at the moment, what with Freddie's fucking claim and the utter silence of the house driving her just mad. She tipped her head up and heaved a weary sigh, her eyes shutting tight as she let herself soak under the warm rays of the sun. She's got too many things going on in her mind that somehow she wished the sun would just fry her brains and leave it dry, because she's grown pretty tired of thinking, of figuring things out. She's tired of reading Effy's confusing signals, fed up of Freddie's meddling and shit, but most of all, she was just sick of herself constantly fucking and messing things up, and that included breaking Emily's heart.

For the record, she never meant what she said last night, about Emily meaning nothing to her. But she won't admit it out loud, she didn't know why, she just wouldn't. Enough said.

The sound of a car engine dying down along with the creaking of the front door pulled her out of her chain of thoughts, and she sprang up to her feet at once, heading inside the house to check things up.

She just wished she didn't though, wished that she should have just stayed outside, at the comfort of Emily's garden, under the warm sun.

Her face hardened instantaneously at the sight of the new comers, her eyes narrowing and her breath hitching as her eyes flickered between them. Her gaze met Freddie's not long after, shooting him a heated glare as she recalled their conversation over the phone.

"'I'll just go get my things." Emily muttered after a short moment of uncomfortable silence, her words mostly directed to Freddie, breaking the sudden but unnoticeable tension between the blonde and the lad.

"Yeah, sure." He answered with a strained smile. "I'll wait here."

Naomi turned her head but didn't look at Emily as she blew a noisy breath, which she purposely made to sound like an uninterested sigh, and marched towards the living room without a word in response to the red head. She walked passed them with her head held high, as if she saw nothing, dropping herself lazily on the couch as she turned the tv on, pretending to watch though she was eyeing the two at the corner of her eyes. She was well aware of Freddie's stares but kept a straight face, like she didn't fucking care whatever they did or were planning to do. She could hear Emily's heavy steps reverberating around the house when she went up to her room, leaving her and Freddie alone.

"You're not stopping her?" He asked as he cocked his head, pertaining to Emily.

The blonde scoffed, eyes still glued on the flat screen. "Why would I?" She hissed.

"So you're letting her go then?" He asked just for clarification, irritating the blonde even further.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "You know Freddie." She huffed out loud, as if the conversation was boring the fuck out of her. "There's such a thing you call 'cooling off' yeah?" She watched as Freddie's eyebrow quirked in confusion. "We had a massive fight." She shrugged. "Doesn't mean I'll let her go that easy." She raised one brow, goading Freddie to throw something back. A small smirk crept up on her lips when Freddie opened his mouth but closed it again, deciding to cease a retort. She returned her gaze back to the tv, the smirk still plastered on her face.

Oh, how she loved being in control of things.

Her gratified smirk slowly disappeared as soon as she heard Emily coming down the stairs with a small suitcase in hand, her once hard and nonchalant expression settling back in. She tried her best not to throw a single glance at the red head, though she was failing miserably as she started watching her at the corner of her eyes, despite pretending to be focused on the show on telly.

"I'll be carrying that." She heard Freddie say and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Him and his 'I'm a fucking gentleman' shit.

"Oh, okay." Emily answered sheepishly, handing the suitcase. "Well, thanks."

Naomi snorted out loud and feigned a cough when both Freddie and Emily looked her way. She lifted her hand and pretended to rub her chest, her eyes still glued on the screen.

"You alright?" Freddie asked, dubious.

"Yeah." She replied and took a sip from her can of soda.

"Right." He muttered. "I guess we'd be going then." He announced, out of civility.

She nodded half-heartedly as she threw a quick glance. "Oh and uhm, Freds." She called out before he even had taken a step forward. "About what you said on the phone."

"What about it?"

"Bring it on." She smiled in satisfaction as she watched Freddie's quizzical expression turn into something that was torn between unthreatened and pained. She said it merely to piss him off and somehow to get even for pissing her off this morning, which cost her to smash the poor cordless phone.

"Is something wrong?" It was Emily, her hand quickly flying to Freddie's arm, rubbing it in a comforting way, as she asked with genuine concern and worry, which made Naomi grimace in something comparable as jealousy. He shook his head and smiled at the red head before returning his gaze at the blonde. "See you around." He bade goodbye and dragged Emily's suitcase with him, the red head trailing behind, chancing one last sad glance at Naomi before closing the front door.

The blonde waited until the two were completely out of the house before furiously throwing her can of soda towards their direction, scowling altogether as she grumbled loudly. "Gentleman my arse."

Karma does come around that fast.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"Everything okay Emily?"

Emily turned her gaze around from the car window to face Freddie. "Yeah." She softly replied with a slight nod of the head.

Freddie let out a smile, not pressing the matter further. "Where are you going to stay then?"

"At JJ's." She answered. "I called him earlier."

"What about your sister's place?"

"I don't think I'd be able to stand her boyfriend." She smiled sadly. "The only place left is JJ's."

"You can stay at my house." He offered, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, if you want to."

"Thanks." Emily murmured. "But I really don't want to be a bother."

"Emily." He drawled out, his eyes flickering between the road and Emily. "You're never a bother."

She bit her lip and dropped her gaze to her fidgeting fingers, as she tried to hide her sudden blush. "Really, Freddie, thanks." She paused. "But I think it's best that I stay at JJ's. You know, so things wouldn't be more complicated."

Freddie nodded in understanding. "I understand." He flashed a warm smile. "But if ever you change your mind, my house is always open for you."

"Thank you." She murmured before leaning in to grant him a friendly kiss on the cheek as a token of gratitude. She stayed silent for a moment when she shuffled back to her seat, debating whether or not to raise the question she'd been meaning to ask ever since they left Naomi's house. She cleared her throat after a short while and prepared herself to speak, her curiosity winning over entirely. "Erm, Freddie."

"Yeah?" He replied as he threw a sideway glance to Emily.

"What was Naomi talking about?" She sheepishly asked, biting her bottom lip. "I mean, the one about what you said on the phone?"

For half a moment, Freddie considered telling her the truth, considered telling her how much he's serious about wanting to make her happy, how much he wanted to have a chance to be with her, how much he meant it when he said that he'd take her away from Naomi because she didn't treat her right. Yet he decided that lying would probably be the best, at least for now. "It's nothing big." He answered. "We just had a little argument over the phone."

"But you two are okay though? I mean, you're not fighting with each other?"

He smiled, though a little uptight. "Friends fight all the time."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

When Effy called Naomi and asked her to come over that afternoon, she didn't think twice and said yes in an instant, the silence of the house becoming too unbearable for her. They found themselves sitting on a bar later on, drinks in hand, and talking about the most random things they could think about, until the one topic she had been avoiding all day was brought up, by Effy of all fucking people.

"So, Emily." Effy tried to sound nonchalant about it, but couldn't quite hide the curiosity in her voice.

"Christ." Naomi pressed her lips together, pausing for a few beats as she took a deep breath. "I really don't want to talk about it Eff."

"Massive fight?"

"Effy." The blonde hissed. "Just drop it."

"Hiatus then?" Effy asked casually, her forefinger tracing the brim of her long drink glass absentmindedly.

Naomi's forehead crumpled as she turned to face the brunette. "What do you mean?" She leaned closer as she tried to make out what Effy was saying over the loud thumping bass that began to play.

"Hiatus or clean break?"

"Jesus Christ Eff!" Naomi blurted out. "Stop with the fucking mind games yeah?"

The brunette just quirked a brow and shrugged, unaffected by Naomi's sudden outburst or she probably was just used to it, returning her attention back to her drink glass.

Naomi covered her face with her palm, scrunching it altogether. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You know well what I'm talking about."

She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't ask if I know, would I?"

"In a bad mood, aren't we?" Effy's lips curled up to her usual smirk. "You need to loosen up."

"What do you think I'm doing then?" She snapped, grabbing her shot glass and downing the cider in one go.

"Fucking calm down Naomi yeah?" The brunette muttered, trying to stifle her laughter. "I'm not trying to pick a fight with you or anything."

Naomi wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and bit her lip. "Sorry." She murmured softly. "Just, just having an awful day."

"So let's get fucked up then."

The blonde nodded and smiled a little. "Drive me home alright?"

Effy fell into a snigger. "No, I'll leave you here to rot."

"Fuck you."

The brunette's eyes grew wide, her eyebrows quirking teasingly. "I'd love to."

Naomi snorted out loud and burst into a fit of laughter. "What the fuck are you on?" She spoke in between laughing.

"A couple of pills and booze." Effy answered with a shrug. "Plenty of booze."

"Unbelievable." Naomi shook her head, still laughing. "I think I'd be the one driving you home."

"Fuck going home." The brunette blurted out. "We haven't even started yeah?"

Naomi rolled her eyes. "You already started without me Eff."

Effy sneered and raised her finger to flip the blonde off, her gaze falling way past Naomi's shoulders, into two familiar figures on the corner of the club. She scowled at once and dropped her hand on the bar counter upon realizing who the figures were. Naomi shuffled on her seat as soon as she noticed Effy suddenly freezing, turning around to follow her line of sight. She felt her body stiffen too as soon as her eyes fell on them, her grip on the glass tightening as ever, her lips quivering with an abrupt surge of rage.

Freddie and Emily.

She didn't know how long she had been staring, but she was and she knew Effy was looking too. When she saw him lean in and whisper something to Emily's ear that made the red head break into a wide grin and laugh, she felt her stomach drop and suddenly twist in such an unpleasant manner, making her cling to the bar counter instinctively. And when it was Emily who leaned in to whisper in turn, she felt her heart constricting, her grip on the counter tightening. Emily was too close, dangerously too close and she didn't like it one bit. She swallowed hard and tried to catch up with her breath, her heart beating frantically that it almost felt like it was lodged on her throat. Even when Emily pulled away, her heart wouldn't stop pounding. It just wouldn't and she had no idea why.

She was at the edge of her seat, like she's watching a fucking horror movie or something, when the truth was that she was just looking at Emily standing close to Freddie, a few inches in distance she guessed, and waiting for what would happen next. She was pretty sure that Effy was on the edge of her seat too, though she couldn't risk a quick glance at the brunette beside her. She can't miss anything, she needed to witness everything. She watched as Emily placed a hand on Freddie's arm and leaned in again to whisper some fucking thing, that fucking scene nearly toppling her over. She saw Freddie nod at the red head and she walked away. She was guessing that Emily probably was going to the bathroom, and was debating with herself whether to follow the red head or not. She sprang up to her feet and took a tentative step towards the direction of the bathroom when suddenly she caught Freddie's gaze. His expression changed from cheerful into something serious and hard when he saw her, but it wasn't what stopped her from going to Emily all the way. It was Freddie's eyes, the glint in them, that fucking glint in them that somewhat sent a message to her.

He was fucking serious when he told her that he was going to take Emily away.

She backed a few steps, her legs hitting the bar stool, but didn't break her hold. She could feel her jaw clenching tight as she continued to stare at his glinting eyes, the longer she stared, the stronger Freddie's resolve became. He was determined to do it, fucking determined to do it.

And as much as she hated to admit it, Naomi had no idea what to do. A certain feeling similar to fear started crawling across her chest at the thought of Freddie meaning everything he said and being successful of taking Emily away completely.


	26. JJ's Star theory

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 26

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_"__My point is, though that star shines less than the other two." He stretched his hand out, pointing to the lone star. "It doesn't mean that it's far from them." He gestured at the other two stars. "Sometimes, one star just shines so bright that it overshadows the other, though the truth is—"_

**A/N: **Next chap! Terribly sorry for the delays, I'll try to update as early as I can. Erm, if it helps, the next chapter is being written already. XD Thanks for the really awesome comments and reviews! Gives me a huge boost to write!

Dedicated to: Fellow A-teamers, because you two are awesome! ^^ and those who supported me on the GLBT and Naomily thread! You guys know who you are!

Naomi found herself crossing the distance between hers and Freddie in quick giant strides, squeezing furiously through the mass of pressed sweaty bodies as she jostled her way among the crowd, down to the corner of the club where he stood. She watched as he too moved from where he was, her eyes locked with his until they met halfway eventually, standing toe to toe opposite each other, wearing one another down as they exchanged sharp, dagger-like glares that pierced through their defenses and resolves. Naomi didn't have the faintest idea where her sudden guts were coming from, granted that she was somewhat threatened by Freddie's determination just a few moments ago. Maybe it was the anger that was fueling it, giving her the nerve to walk towards him and meet him face to face. Or maybe, it was the mere sight of him being _that_ close to Emily that infuriated her inside. It could also be that she felt like standing up for Effy, because this could be hurting her even if she didn't say so. Or it could be a mixture of three. But whatever it was exactly, it's turning fast into one giant ball of revulsion against her so-called friend.

"Will you just stop this?" She snapped, scowling at him as they stood before each other, face to face.

"Jesus." He grimaced. "Stop what Naomi?"

"Stop this, this—" She paused, searching for the right words, her hands flailing everywhere. "This, whatever you're playing at."

"I told you, I'm not playing anything." He spat back, the words rolling out of his tongue acerbically.

"Then what are you doing?" She cried out, her voice rising from her usual tone, though the change was almost undistinguishable as the loud music drowned any other sound.

"I'm stepping up." Freddie answered firmly. "I backed out before because you were my friend." He pushed even further, taking Naomi's momentary silence as an opportunity to speak his mind. "I gave up because she's your girl."

She could feel her fingers clenching into fists while she listened, her jaw strained tight as she tried to resist the urge of doing anything stupid that she might regret later on.

But, God knows how much she wanted to hit him.

"You had countless chances Naomi and you wasted them." He added with a firm shake of his head. "But I'm not gonna hold back anymore."

She was on the very verge of lifting her hand and connecting her fist on his face when she suddenly felt a tight grip encircling around her wrist, stopping her completely. She snapped her head and met Effy's gaze, her lips pursed uptight.

"Don't." Effy warned with a shake of her head, her eyes warily scanning the place. It seemed like their little commotion had now attracted a fair amount of whispering and attention, on which some of the people had even stopped dancing just to take a look. "Let's go yeah?" She tugged on Naomi's arm, beckoning her to leave already, tugging it once again when the blonde remained unmoving, eyes now back to Freddie. "Naomi." She hissed, tugging for the third time but much stronger than the previous.

Snapping back to her senses, Naomi averted her gaze and turned to Effy. She nodded half-heartedly and allowed the brunette to drag her out of the club, throwing one last sharp glance towards Freddie before turning around to leave. She could hear the constant clicking of cell phone cameras as they made their way out, though she couldn't be bothered at all, the thought of the possible consequences of her actions being completely overwhelmed by the raging anger, which brought about a sudden blood rush coursing through her veins. She was still breathing shallowly even when they were at the safety of her car, her head tipped up and leaning against the head rest.

Effy closed the car door. "What just happened in there?"

Naomi blew an exasperated breath. "I have no idea." She drawled out after a long pause, shutting her eyes tight as she caught her breath.

"Right." The brunette's brow quirked, watching Naomi intently under her gaze. "Jealous?"

"Shouldn't you be asking yourself that?" Naomi blurted out, quickly shuffling on the driver's seat to look at Effy.

The brunette let out a mere shrug. "Don't know."

"Jesus Christ, Effy." Naomi rolled her eyes. "You're being bloody cryptic again." She shifted once more, leaning her head back to the head rest.

"I don't know if I'm jealous or not." Effy murmured after a moment of silence, much to the blonde's confusion, her eyes trained on the car window beside her.

"Why don't you know?"

"Because you're here." She turned around, meeting Naomi's now quizzical expression.

"But he's the one you love Eff." The blonde protested, her voice dropping low.

"And you're the one I like."

Naomi's mouth parted open, her eyes growing wide as she was definitely surprised by Effy's words, her hand on top of the steering wheel gripping the arc tightly. She swallowed hard as her breath hitched once again. "Eff." She called out faintly, almost inaudible.

Effy smiled genuinely, though just a little. "Relax. I'm not trying on anything." She watched as Naomi pressed her lips together. "I'm just saying." She shrugged. "Or maybe I'm just starting to accept that he'll never really like me."

"Effy –"

"I'm not gonna cry, you idiot." She broke off and smiled sadly before heaving a sigh. "I haven't really thought about it, but I will, eventually."

The blonde took a deep breath before speaking. "Maybe it's time to let him go." She replied with a shrug. "So you'd stop hurting."

"Maybe." Effy paused, bringing her gaze back to the car window. "And maybe it's time for us to go home." She cocked her head, pointing to the crowd that was starting to build near the car, cameras and mobile phones in hand.

"Jesus." Naomi blew out a noisy breath and rolled her eyes before revving the engine and driving down the road. "I'm guessing I'd be on the headlines again."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"Freddie?"

Freddie turned on his heels quickly, his scowl disappearing along with his anger as soon as he laid his eyes on Emily. "Hey." He cheerfully called out, flashing a warm smile.

"I've been looking all over for you." Emily stated as she handed him another glass of drink. "You weren't there when I got back."

"Did you just get back?" He gulped. "I mean, you didn't see anyone, did you?"

"Just got back." Emily nodded gently, her forehead folding into a crease. "Am I supposed to see anybody?"

Freddie shook his head and let out a soft chuckle. "No, no." He paused. "You weren't." He lifted his hand and took a glance at his watch. "It's getting late. I think we should go."

"I suppose so." The red head smiled as Freddie escorted her out of the club and into his car.

"Can you drop by my office tomorrow?" Freddie asked halfway through their drive back to JJ's place, his eyes flickering between Emily and the road ahead. "So we could talk about your synopsis. We haven't really discussed it ever since you gave it to me."

"Tomorrow?" Emily repeated, thinking deep. "I guess I'm free." She smiled.

"Good. I'll see you then?"

"What time?"

Freddie broke into a huge grin. "Anytime." He happily answered as he brought his attention back to driving.

"I've had a lovely time." Emily smiled timidly upon arriving to JJ's house. She unbuckled her seatbelt and turned back to Freddie. "Do you wanna go inside?"

"Nah." He shook his head. "JJ might already be asleep."

"Oh, alright." The red head replied. "Well, see you." She bid him goodbye and stepped out of his car to get inside the house. "JJ." She softly called out, so as to not wake her best friend up in case he was already asleep. She craned her neck, noticing the still open lights on the kitchen, and decided to check up on there. "JJ?" She saw a figure past the kitchen door, seated onto the bench at the backyard, and could make out JJ's ruffled hair. She took a deep breath and gently pushed the door open, heading outside the yard to sit quietly beside him.

"How was your date?" He asked without glancing, knowing too well who had just arrived.

"It wasn't a date J." Emily snorted. "Freddie and I were just hanging out."

"Well, since you put it that way, might as well think about it as hanging out and not a date." He chuckled and turned to the red head, smiling widely, his braces showing.

Emily smiled back. "What are you doing here? I mean, you should be sleeping right?"

"I can't sleep." JJ answered, tipping his head up to look at the sky. "So I went star gazing instead."

Emily inched closer and laid her head on JJ's shoulder, gazing up at the stars as well. "Why is it that every time I look up, I always seem to see those three stars first?" She blurted out in a frustrated tone after a few moments, pertaining to the three stars that she had started to refer to as her, Naomi and Effy.

"Which ones?" JJ asked.

She raised her hand and pointed the stars out. "That one, it looks like it's losing its glow." She sadly murmured, talking about the lone star that she thought about as herself. "It's probably so far away from those two."

JJ let out a small chuckle, his shoulders shaking, which made Emily shift on her seat and look at him quizzically. "What's so funny?"

He shook his head gently. "Nothing." He replied. "It's just that, people always have this misconception that the brighter the star, the nearer it is."

"Well, it is like that." Emily answered skeptically, her brow arching up. "Studies say that the brighter the star, the nearer it is."

"But studies also say that brightness alone is not enough of a basis to know a particular star's distance." JJ lifted his forefinger. "Take the sun as an example. It's a star right?"

"Well, yeah, technically." The red head replied haltingly.

"The sun, as astrologers say, is the brightest star. Yet—" He paused, preparing to make his point. "You can't say that the sun is the nearest star. There are other stars nearer than it."

"And your point exactly?" Emily grimaced as their conversation seemed to have quickly turned into a bloody science lesson.

"My point is, though that star shines less than the other two." He stretched his hand out, pointing to the lone star. "It doesn't mean that it's far from them." He gestured at the other two stars. "Sometimes, one star just shines so bright that it overshadows the other, though the truth is—" He shuffled on his seat to get a better look at Emily who now seemed to be lost on the topic and totally confused. "Let's put it this way. That lone star would be star number one." He paused and watched as Emily nodded. "The middle star would be star number two. Then that bright one is star number three."

"Okay." The red head murmured hesitantly.

"You see, star number one could be much, much, much nearer to star number two, compared to star number three. It just so happens that the third star shines so bright that people think it's nearer, even though in reality, it could be farther than star number one. This theory still needs to be proven, but it's a big possibility." He finished with a grin, sounding all smug. "I'm guessing that both star number one and number three want to be near star number two huh?" He smiled playfully yet, full of meaning.

"Maybe." Emily let out a small sad smile and took a deep breath. "Maybe it's just star number one, because number three is already near."

"You're forgetting my theory." He scowled lightheartedly. "Are we still talking about the stars?" He bantered.

"Yeah. What else could we be talking about?" She answered innocently, though she knew perhaps JJ had already known, or rather, had always known.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi dropped herself wearily on the couch, tipping her head up at once as soon as her body had hit the soft seat. She spread her fingers open and let them crawl up to her hair as she let out deep, exasperated sighs. Too much had happened in just a short span of time and things just seemed to keep getting complicated, not that they weren't already.

Indeed, an eventful night it was.

She huffed out loud and screwed her eyes shut. Just as when she seemed to have figured things out and was just preparing herself to admit and accept certain things, somewhat, somewhere, something would go wrong and everything she had managed to stack up would come stumbling down again and she'd find herself back to square one.

Just as when she was ready to accept that Effy would never love her or _like_ her the same way as she felt for Freddie, the brunette would suddenly come along and blurt out confusing and rather blunt confessions. Just as when she had finally decided to give up on her and be nothing more than a friend to her, Effy would do or say something that would send her thinking and weighing about her decision and options over again.

Naomi shifted on her seat and propped her elbows against her knees, her face now buried on her open palms, her deep breaths escaping noisily through the spaces between her fingers.

Emily, on the other hand, was a completely different story. There were things going on between her and the red head that she didn't even want to think about, things that she kept hidden and locked on a vault at the back of her mind because she was afraid to face or even acknowledge them, for it would make them more real. Things she just couldn't come up with a proper and sensible explanation, feelings that she never wanted to feel, didn't even know what they were exactly and couldn't put a finger on it, yet she had no control over them and they made their way to her almost always.

Perfect example? Her willingness to open up to Emily without feeling uncomfortable about it one bit. Because there's something inviting and oddly comforting about Emily, like a magnetic pull that you just can't resist. Call it aura or something or whatever, but there was definitely _something_ about Emily. Freddie surely could feel the same.

Ugh. Freddie.

She groaned loudly when Freddie came to her mind again, feeling a sudden burning anger rise on her chest. She'd never admit that she's jealous though. She'd like to put it, not as jealousy, but as infuriation against Freddie's 'all smug attitude' like he's a fucking savior or something.

She rolled her eyes and decided to just go to sleep and stop thinking, for her sanity's sake. She shifted along the couch and laid her head on the arm rest. She didn't bother to go upstairs to her room, the effects of booze slowly kicking in and making her feel somnolent, much to her delight.

That night she dreamed of a playground with little red heads playing on the swing, Freddie and Emily standing on a corner and watching them with stupid grin on their faces. Best part was, she was the nanny.

That wasn't a dream. That was a fucking nightmare.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

The incessant ringing of her mobile phone was what woke Naomi up. Shuffling from the couch, she reached out at the coffee table and grabbed her phone, not even bothering to glance at the screen as she hit the green button. "Em?" She spoke hesitantly, albeit not knowing why she was the first person to come to her mind. Emily, of all people.

"Naomi!"

The blonde winced as she pulled the phone away from her ear. "Jesus, Panda." She groaned gruffly. "Don't yell."

"Oh, sorry." Pandora apologized on the other line.

"It's okay." Naomi answered, voice still thick with sleep. "What's up?"

"Thomas told me to call you. He said that he needs you in his office right now."

She glanced at the wall clock hung above the flat screen tv and mouthed the time soundlessly. Eleven am. "But I just woke up." The blonde protested, shuffling on the couch to stretch out, the phone intact between her ear and her hand.

"He doesn't care. He's gone ape Naomi!" Pandora cried out. "He's been doing agony flips ever since he came!"

"What?" Naomi exclaimed, her forehead crumpling. "English Panda, English." She added, rubbing her temple with her fingers. "I've just woken up for fuck's sake!"

"He went bloody rah-rah and threw a whacker load of new papers on his table Naomi." The PA replied.

"Oh shit." Naomi slapped her hand against her forehead. "Fucking hell."

"Hurry up! Get here already!"

"Yeah, yeah. Am on it." Naomi replied as she got off the couch, practically running upstairs to fix herself. "Tell Thomas I'll be there as soon as I can yeah?" She bade Pandora goodbye, tossed her phone on the bed and headed directly to the bathroom, slipping under the showers once she had wriggled her way out of her clothes.

Yep, on the headlines once again. Sometimes she wondered if she's part psychic.


	27. Headlines

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 27

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **"_Creative." She fell into a snigger. "Very creative." She scrolled the page down a tad bit as she read the first few sentences of the web article written about her and the fight, which is actually more of a confrontation, really, rolling her eyes upon finishing the first two paragraphs. "Figured I'd be compared to the other Campbell again."_

**A/N: **Next chapter :) Enjoy guys! Thanks for all the comments and reviews!

Thomas kicked the marbled floor and let his swivel chair spin around a couple of times, his fingers smoothening out the lines of his already crumpled forehead as he exhaled worn out, aggravated sighs. He clasped his hands together as soon as his chair stopped swiveling, and pressed them along his already pursed lips, with his elbows propping on both arm rests. He turned his gaze and stared at Naomi who was seated directly opposite him, looking rather unperturbed and uninterested, slouching on her own chair as they both sat in silence inside the conference room.

"You're everywhere." He broke, muttering sardonically with a rather annoyed grin plastered on his face.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "How bad is it this time?" She asked casually, like, things like these usually happen and really, by now Thomas should have probably been used to it.

He leaned closer to the huge wooden table and stretched out his hand to press the blinking red button on the intercom, his eyes trained on Naomi even as he stooped a little as he spoke. "Let them in Pandora." He drawled out, surprisingly. Naomi was a bit apprehensive about Thomas' unusual calmness because normally, at times like these, he would have 'gone ape' as Panda liked to put it.

Plus, Thomas calling Panda by her whole name was never a good sign.

The conference doors swung open and surprise filled the blonde model's features as she watched the people coming in. There were a mere ten people who had entered and lined up inside the room, half of them holding laptops and the other half, piles of newspapers. Thomas snapped his fingers and gestured them to arrange their stuff on top of the table in a straight queue. They moved one by one and carefully placed the items, the laptops first, all facing Naomi. The newspapers followed, stacking them all up in one high pile.

"Thank you." Thomas stated calmly. "You may now leave." He turned to the blonde. "Will you look at those Naomi?"

Naomi inhaled deeply and shuffled on her seat as she extended one hand to reach for one of the laptops, pulling it closer to her. She bit her lip as she scrolled the page down, her eyes almost popping out when she finally saw the several images posted on the website. One was of her and Freddie standing face to face, obviously bickering about something, their furious expressions giving everything away. There were a couple of her and Effy taken while they were seated on the bar stools, laughing together. The last few pictures were of Emily and Freddie, with Emily leaning closer to Freddie, like she was whispering to him.

And it was the only picture that managed to instigate something inside her, a spark of jealousy kindling as she felt her stomach twist and turn violently into knots. She shifted again to lean even closer, her lips pressed in one tight line as she clicked image per image.

"I suggest you read it." Thomas interrupted, much to her comfort, the tiny spark igniting all her emotions together with anger rising on top, the photos with Freddie in it infuriating her even more.

She scrolled the page back up, snorting real loud when she read the title.

_Naomi Campbell the 2__nd__._

"Creative." She fell into a snigger. "Very creative." She scrolled the page down a tad bit as she read the first few sentences of the web article written about her and the fight, which is actually more of a confrontation, really, rolling her eyes upon finishing the first two paragraphs. "Figured I'd be compared to the other Campbell again."

Thomas' blank expression remained unchanged at Naomi's remarks. Finally rising from his swivel chair, he made his way around the conference table and stood before the pile of newspapers, right beside Naomi. "Those laptops you see have five different websites in it, all of them blogging about the incident that happened."

"It wasn't a big deal Thomas." The blonde scowled. "Just a small confrontation, that's it."

"Anything that involves you Naomi is a big deal." Thomas countered, his voice rising a few notches up and his straight face finally faltering. "Apparently, you don't realize how famous you are." He took one newspaper and unfolded it, slamming it in front of the blonde, the loud thud making her jump a little. "The newspaper headlines are another story."

"Jesus Christ." She blurted out as she read the title, screaming in massive black bold prints.

_Third parties cause of break up?_

Like the websites, a photo of her and Effy as well as of Emily and Freddie were printed along with the article and was right on the front page. According to the caption placed under the images, Effy and Freddie were the ones referred to as the rumored third parties that might have caused the break up between her and Emily. Naomi sunk down wearily on her swivel chair and shut her eyes, perfectly aware of Thomas' burning stares getting under her skin. She could hear him moving beside her, his footsteps fainting by the second as he walked back and slumped on his own chair.

"Did you two really break up?"

"No." She answered firmly. It was the truth anyway. "We had a massive fight and she moved out—"

"She moved out?" Thomas broke off with a shout. "Naomi do you realize what could happen if the media finds out?"

"I know Thomas." She replied wearily. "Believe me I know."

Thomas lifted his hands and placed them above his head. "Then why aren't you doing anything to fix it?"

"It's not that easy." She blew out a deep breath. "I don't even know who's at fault."

"Look Naomi." He paused, placing his hands on the table. "I don't want to meddle with your personal life. It's none of my business." He continued, watching Naomi intently under his gaze. "But fix these things before they go completely out of hand."

The blonde nodded half-heartedly. "I'll see what I can do Thomas."

"That is all." He replied, turning his chair from Naomi to face the wall behind him. "You may now leave. I think I need a little break. And oh, a piece of advice."

Naomi stopped on her tracks and slowly turned around, waiting expectantly for Thomas to continue.

"You don't always have to follow what's on your head. Sometimes it's your heart that tells you what's right."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"JJ!" Emily called out from the kitchen as she was just drying the last plate she had washed. "I'm going out today."

"To Freddie's?" Came JJ's muffled reply from the living room.

"Yeah." She answered. "We're going to talk about my synopsis." She moved away from the sink and slipped out of the apron, hooking it behind the kitchen door. She was just about to go back to her room to get changed when she heard JJ call her name as she passed by him.

"Emily, I think you might want to watch this before you go out."

"Why?"

He cocked his head and pointed towards the telly where the news had just started to air. She turned to face the screen and slipped beside her best friend as she watched with a raised eyebrow and a crumpled forehead.

"For our show business news, blonde model Naomi Campbell was seen on a club late last night getting into a heated argument with her male friend turned arch enemy Freddie McLair. Sources say that the two were arguing about a certain female whom most presume is Campbell's girlfriend or ex-girlfriend, Emily Fitch."

Emily and JJ exchanged shock glances before turning their attention back to the news as the anchorwoman continued.

"An anonymous source sent us a video of the said incident which we will be showing to the viewers, right after this break."

"What happened?" It was JJ, shifting on his seat as soon as the adverts started to air.

Emily shook her head exceedingly. "I don't know JJ. I don't even know that something like this happened." She paused, thinking deeply about the said night, her eyes bulging wide when something flicked in her memory. "I think I remember." She mumbled.

"What?"

"When I went back from the loo last night, Freddie wasn't there where I left him. I found him standing near the dance floor and he seemed like he was looking at something or someone."

"You think it's Naomi then?" JJ asked.

"I think so." She answered hesitantly. "When I told him that I was looking for him, he asked me if I just got back and if I saw somebody." Both she and JJ fell into silence, their gazes down on the floor as they separately worked things out on their minds.

"We definitely have to see the video Emily." He watched as Emily acquiesced with a half nod, their attentions returning to the screen once the last advert had finished airing.

"And as promised, the controversial video taken last night. Here it is."

The red head watched in complete shock and surprise when the short video started playing on the screen, her eyes almost popping out and her mouth hanging agape as she tried to listen to the strained words and read the subtitles displayed below. She could clearly make out Naomi's form, her back turned from the camera or whatever it was that was taking the video, her fingers balling into fists as she waited for Freddie's rant to finish.

"_But I'm not gonna hold back anymore."_

She quickly covered her face with her hand, scrunching it all together as she exhaled a worn out breath. Suddenly, something clicked on her mind. The phone conversation Naomi once mentioned and now the argument in the club. It was all about her.

This clearly was going to be a big problem.

She sprang up to her feet at once and headed straight to the door, not bothering to finish the news or even change clothes anymore.

"Emily where are you going?" JJ stood up as well and ran towards the red head. "I'm sure the press is hunting you down now!" He exclaimed exaggeratedly.

"Calm down JJ. They're not gonna kill me yeah?" She rolled her eyes. "I need to have a word with Freddie." She muttered in a serious tone. "Because this shouldn't happen."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi scurried on her way down the huge lobby, bolting straight towards the rotating doors, her massive, dark sunglasses already in place to hide her eyes. Her pristine blue orbs that always gave her identity away. Most of the time, it's her eyes that were recognized first by almost everyone she came across with, eventually becoming as her trademark and her biggest asset in the modeling industry. She nodded at the two black suited men hovering outside, escorting her on her way out in return, just in case some reporter planned to assault her with riling questions and take endless candid pictures. As soon as she got to her car, she thanked the men and was about to hop in when a flash of red hair caught her eyes from across the street, directly opposite of the building where she just got out. She removed her sunglasses at once to take a good look, her eyes narrowing as she tried to see if _it_ really was whom she was thinking. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a black haired guy escort the red head, the two of them hopping into his car.

"Freddie." She murmured acerbically, like his name was burning her tongue.

She wasted no time when she saw his car drive off, stepping into her own as fast as she could. She floored the gas pedal and turned right on the corner where Freddie's car turned, slowing down a tad bit to maintain a fair distance away from them so she could go unnoticed.

She had never been thankful that her car windows were heavily tinted.

She trailed behind Freddie's car without losing her distance, sometimes cutting across other automobiles and switching lanes to keep anybody from noticing her and what she was doing. Though while driving, her mind was working out reasons why she was acting like a right arsehole and was snooping around when it wasn't any of her business at all. Part of her wanted to stop what she was doing, because she couldn't find any bloody reason why she was doing it in the first place. But a bigger part of her wanted to keep her driving, to keep following them until she's sure that Emily was no longer with Freddie and that she's safe home, wherever she was staying.

"Jesus!" She shrieked, stepping on the breaks instantaneously to stop her car from colliding with the one in front of her. She heaved a sigh of relief and shook her head. No bloody thinking while driving.

When Freddie's car pulled up into a parking space, she waited for a few beats until he and Emily were out and already walking ahead to the park's entrance. Once she was sure that she's safe to follow, she pulled up as well with a fair distance away from Freddie's space, and hopped out, her glasses back on but now with a matching hat to somehow conceal her face. With one last check on the mirror, she scrambled onto her feet and craned her neck carefully so as to not get busted while she searched for them.

Mission Impossible: The Naomi Campbell version.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"So what do you want to talk to me about?"

Emily looked around, her eyes roaming at the whole park. "Are you sure it's safe to talk here?" She grimaced as she saw an awful lot of people strolling everywhere.

"I'm sure it is." Freddie replied confidently, his hands pursed on his back pockets. "There are too many people. They'd hardly notice us." He walked over an empty spot and patted the space next to him, beckoning Emily to sit. "So?" He smiled warmly.

Emily brought her gaze down and fixed her eyes on her shoes, the blush fast spreading across her cheeks even if she was just thinking about what she would say. She dragged out a long sigh as she bit her lip, before lifting her head and turning to Freddie who was looking at her quizzically. "I came to talk to you about what happened in the club last night." She watched as Freddie's face grimace with unease, urging her to go on. "Freddie, why didn't you tell me?" She blurted out, her voice full of accusation.

"Tell you what?"

"I saw the video Freddie." She shook her head at him. "Don't pretend nothing happened."

"Emily, look." He twisted on his seat, so he was face to face with the red head. "About the argument—"

"I've heard it all yeah?" Emily broke him off. "And I appreciate that you're standing up for me. But why didn't you tell me?"

He swallowed hard and lifted his hand to his nape, looking at Emily sheepishly from under his lids. "I didn't know what to tell you." He answered sincerely. "And I thought it might upset you, you know. If I told you."

"Freddie." She drawled out along with a sigh. "Really, I appreciate what you did. It's just that, that I need to know these things too, you know." She paused as he agreed with a nod.

"Right."

"You and Naomi are friends. You shouldn't be fighting."

"I know." He hesitated for a few beats. "But we can't help it. I can't help it." He cried out, putting much weight on the 'I' part to stress his point. "We both want the same thing, the same girl."

Emily let out a sad laugh, averting her gaze from Freddie as his eyes started to bore into hers and she couldn't take it. She couldn't look into his eyes without feeling guilty, because Freddie didn't know the truth, he didn't know about the contract, about the whole 'pretending' scheme. It wasn't fair to him to fight for her when she'd been lying to him all along. It wasn't right. "Don't Freddie." She whispered breathlessly.

"Don't what?"

"Don't ruin your friendship over something like this." She shut her eyes tight. "Please." She felt a pair of fingers slide under her chin, her head being turned into a particular direction, Freddie's softened eyes the first one she met when her own eyes fluttered open.

"I can't promise you that Emily."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi had been watching the two from behind a bush ever since they had sat down on that empty spot, her legs folded into a squat. She angled her head to a position where she could see them and hear them talking clearly as well, yet without being noticed at all. She'd grimace from time to time especially when it was Freddie who was speaking, her heart unexplainably skipping a beat when it was Emily's voice that was ringing in her ears. She leaned in closer to be able to hear much clearer, her forehead folding into a crease as she tried to make out the rest of the exchange of words coming out from the two.

"Don't ruin your friendship over something like this. Please"

"I can't promise you that Emily."

She couldn't help but snort and roll her eyes, her lips mimicking Freddie's exact same words. "Oh please." She mumbled ever so softly, afraid to make a single sound that might give her away. She shifted her weight on one heel, her neck craning carefully when everything seemed to have turned into a complete silence, Freddie and Emily ceasing to talk. She shuffled on her place a little and spied once again, her eyes growing wide as her mouth hung agape at the sight.

Freddie was leaning in closer with his hand under Emily's chin.

Her mouth closed and open like that of a fish's as her mind tried to work something out because she didn't like what she was seeing one bit. She knew it wasn't any of her business, but she felt like she had to do something about it and fast. Her heart started beating frantically in her chest, thumping out loud like it wanted to break out from where it was placed. Freddie was getting closer by the millisecond and she was bouncing on her heels as she tried to think of something to do. She wanted him to stop leaning in, wanted him to stay away from Emily, wanted him to get his rough hands off her. "For fuck's sake! Do something Emily!" She murmured almost inaudibly, yet full of fury, as she watched Emily's eyes growing wide as hers, the brown orbs mirroring a glint of shock in them.

It was all that Naomi needed.

Freddie was almost an inch away from the red head when Naomi decided to stop thinking altogether and just act on it. "No, don't!" She shouted out of nowhere and without thinking, definitely startling the two, even herself as she came out of her hiding place. "Oh shit." She bit her lip hard and quickly turned around upon realizing what she did, scrambling to her feet as she began to run away from them, though she couldn't help to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw Emily pull away from his hold. She could hear footsteps behind her and she ran even faster, her efforts going to waste when Freddie caught her by the wrist and turned her around without notice.

"What are you doing here Naomi?" He asked without hesitation while he caught his breath. "Are you following us?"

Naomi snorted out loud. "Why am I here?" She retorted, disentangling her hand forcefully from Freddie's grip. "Can I just remind you that this park is a public place and that I can be here anytime I want."

"Right." Freddie fell into a snigger. "So why are you really here?"

"I'm taking a stroll. Am I not allowed to do that now?" She sneered. "Did you buy this place already? Or just that spot over there?"

"So you did follow us, didn't you?"

Naomi opened her mouth for another retort when Emily cut her off. "Will you two just stop it?" The red head cried out. "Christ! You're in the middle of the bloody park! With plenty of people around!"

The blonde found herself pressing her lips in a line, ceasing her retort entirely. Freddie on the other hand murmured a soft "Sorry." to Emily. The red head blew out an exasperated breath before making her way out of the park.

"Emily." She heard Naomi call, to her surprise. She slowly turned around and kept a straight face. "What?" She asked nonchalantly.

"I-I." Naomi stammered, the words all caught up on her tongue. She really had no idea what to say, hadn't been planning to apologize or anything. She just wanted to talk to her and have Emily answer back, just wanted to hear her voice for no particular reason at all.

Just admitting that she wanted it was probably enough reason though.

"What is it Naomi?" Emily asked again, biting.

The blonde softly shook her head. "Nothing." She watched with sad eyes when Emily turned her back completely from her and walked away without any glance, Freddie following her instantaneously.

She wanted to call her again, to stop her from leaving, but she didn't want to add another finger to wrap around her already clenching heart.


	28. Realization

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 28

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: ** _"I'm with Naomi." She muttered softly, averting her gaze to hide the guilt in her eyes. She knew she had to lie somehow, because she didn't want to hurt him. He was nothing but good to her. And she's afraid that she might not be able to take the guilt if he got his heart broken just because of her._

**A/N: ** Next chap guys! I really hope you like this one, especially those who got disappointed on the past chapters. My apologies for that. There's just a lot going on in my mind that I got a bit lost on track. But I'm trying my best to bring this back on track again. Thanks for all the reviews and comments! *crosses fingers* Here we go.

"Emily, wait." Freddie scrambled on his steps as she chased after a retreating Emily, his hand reaching out just in time to grab the red head by the wrist. "Emily." He called out and gently turned her around, not letting go of his firm grip on her.

"I'm sorry about that." The red head softly murmured after a few beats, her cheeks tainting bright red out of embarrassment. "It's just, I mean, I guess I'm not yet ready to face her." She kept her head low as she refused to meet Freddie's eyes.

"I know." He answered with such understanding and concern. "And I understand that."

"Thank you." She replied as she fixed her eyes on her fidgeting fingers, still not being able to look at him.

"I'm sorry too." Freddie muttered following a short pause, suddenly realizing where the awkwardness was coming from. "I mean, about earlier."

Emily finally tore her gaze from her fingers and threw him a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"About, uhm—" He stammered as he got lost for words. He didn't even know what to call it, the near-kiss incident. "I-I'll try to keep my hands to myself." He smiled hesitantly instead, withdrawing his hand from gripping Emily's own, pursing them both on the back pocket of his jeans.

"Oh." It was all that Emily could come up with, feeling the hotness on her cheeks spread like fire just as it did a few minutes ago. She turned away from him to hide the sudden blush of embarrassment tainting her face.

Freddie heaved a long sigh. "So what you say? Let's backtrack a little and start over?" He paused and flashed a warm friendly smile to the red head as she looked at him again. "Perhaps, getting ice cream to begin with?" He suggested with a tiny hint of hesitation in his voice. "But I could take you home if you don't want to." He added when Emily didn't answer immediately.

"No, it's okay." She blurted out, finally returning his smile to totally get rid of the uncomfortable atmosphere surrounding them. "Ice cream sounds nice."

He broke into a wide grin and gestured towards his car. "Ladies first."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

They found themselves sitting on the swings at the playground, with ice cream cones in hand, kicking the sandy ground from time to time to keep their swings moving. They sat mostly in silence, occasionally throwing random questions at each other as they both enjoyed their cones.

"Well that was lovely." Freddie cheerfully spoke upon finishing his own first, dropping his feet on the ground to stop himself from swinging.

"Too right." Emily answered before chewing the last bit of her cone, her swing slowing down to a complete halt. "Thank you Freddie." She murmured sheepishly as she shifted on the metal seat, facing him.

"For the ice cream?" He chuckled. "It's really nothing Emily."

"No, I mean for everything." She replied, catching her bottom lip between her teeth as she averted her gaze from him. "For cheering me up. For standing up for me."

"Emily. It's—"

"I know it's not easy for you Freddie." She continued, cutting him off. "You're sacrificing a lot of things for me, for my own sake." She blew out a deep sigh. "And I really do appreciate it."

"I know Emily. I know you do." He reached out, catching her chin with his hand, and lifted her face for his eyes to meet hers. "And I know you're worried." He smiled at her comfortingly as he pulled his hand away. "But you shouldn't be."

"I can't help it." The red head replied. "I don't want to cause you any pain Freddie. I don't want to hurt your feelings."

"Ssssh Emily." He shushed and took her hand, placing it in between his own. "If it's about me getting hurt, just remember that it was my decision to stand up. It was my choice."

"But—"

"Look." He paused for a moment, thinking of a way to elaborate his point. "I know that with the decision I made, I'm more likely to be hurt. But I'm up for it Emily." He said with enough conviction. "I'm up for anything, really." He watched as Emily closed her eyes for half a beat, heaving a sigh. "I know what I'm facing, trust me."

"I-I'm not even sure if I can give you what you want Freddie." She answered, her voice wavering. "I might just end up breaking your heart. And I don't want that."

"I'm prepared for it Emily. I'm actually prepared for anything."

"But Freddie—"

"I'm not giving up on you okay?" Freddie answered with a strong resolve. "I'm not giving up on you until you see that you could be happy with me. Or I see you happy with someone else."

"I'm with Naomi." She muttered softly, averting her gaze to hide the guilt in her eyes. She knew she had to lie somehow, because she didn't want to hurt him. He was nothing but good to her. And she's afraid that she might not be able to take the guilt if he got his heart broken just because of her.

"But you're not happy with her. She keeps on hurting you."

She swallowed hard. "I-I'm happy with her." Partly it was true, Naomi did make her happy, though clearly not this point in time.

"You're not." Freddie countered. "I can see that you're not."

"Why are you doing this?" She couldn't help but ask. "Why are you risking so much?"

"It's because I really like you Emily." He answered truthfully. "I've never felt this much to anybody."

"But you barely even know me."

"I know." He paused. "I myself can't explain it." He shook his head, letting out a soft laugh. "It's really weird you know. It's like, like a big celebrity crush."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Freddie—"

"No, wait." He broke off. "It's just— This is the best way that I can put it yeah?" He took a deep breath before speaking. "It's a lot like fancying someone on telly, you know. The first time you see them, you feel something different at once. Then when you get the chance to talk to them, you like them even more." He paused as he watched Emily's forehead crumple with confusion. "What I mean is, though you don't really see them every day, you still can't get them off your mind. You tend to relive those moments that you happened to see them or even meet them. And you wish every passing day that you'd meet them again."

"I don't get it that much." Emily grimaced.

"Think of one celebrity you really, really like."

"Dita von Teese." She replied hesitatingly, biting her lip.

Freddie pressed his lips together to stifle a laugh. "Right. So, put it this way." He watched as Emily nodded her head. "You met Dita for the first time, even had dinner with her, and you liked her so much from then on. Then you met her again a few more times and even became co-workers with her. There's a huge chance that you'd fancy right?"

"I guess." She shrugged.

"That's the best analogy I could think of." He replied. "Sorry if it confused you more."

"But I'm no celebrity Freddie. There's a huge difference."

"That's the beauty of it." He smiled. "You're not hard to reach."

Emily heaved another sigh. "But the point is—"

"Oh no. No, no , no." He shook his head exceedingly. "We're not going back to that argument again."

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi had been staring blankly past the windshield, for God knows how long already, and onto the parking area now barely lit by street lamps as darkness had begun to spread, Freddie's car long gone from its previous space. She'd chance a glance to it from time to time, like it would magically re-appear on the empty space bringing Emily with it, Emily with her wide warm smile and sparkling brown eyes, Emily with her deep husky voice that only she could manage to pull off and make it sound so inviting.

Emily with no Freddie beside her.

"Shit." She grumbled lowly, letting out a series of soft groans as she placed her two hands over the steering wheel and rested her forehead above them. The idea of Emily being with him made her stomach twist violently, as if something vile dropped on the very pit of it that caused her to feel like throwing up. "Shit, shit, shit." She murmured and swallowed hard while knocking her forehead against her hands, over and over for a couple of times, before giving up altogether. She heaved a deep sigh and reached for the key in the ignition to start the car, speeding down the road in just a matter of seconds.

She found herself stepping out of the car and walking absentmindedly towards her house later on, like she's on fucking auto-pilot or something, and she's doing things out of habit or routine and not because she's willed herself to. It was pretty much as though her brain was completely detached from her body, her thoughts floating on someplace else while she lay seated on her own couch. It was weird and unexplainable, how she's void of any feeling or emotion, yet so full of them at the same time, and like, she's going to burst at any given moment. Maybe there were too many emotions to feel that she had no idea what to feel first anymore, which made her end up being blank and impassive instead. Maybe she was still too surprised of what had just happened, of Emily walking out on her, that it hadn't sunk in completely, the gravity of things still not registering on her thoughts.

Or maybe she was just all too afraid to admit that it was hurting her, the thought of Emily being with Freddie and not with her, of Emily standing true to her word when she said that she'd mean nothing to her from then on. She's so afraid, that she'd rather keep it all in, ignoring it as hard as she could even if it's screaming inside her already, wanting to be let out and be recognized even for once.

"I think I need therapy." She mumbled, mostly to herself, finding her situation so unusual that she wondered if most people experienced something like this. If most people had those moments where everything just got so confusing and they tended to deny things even if it were that fucking obvious, tended to keep certain feelings because they were afraid to let it out, thinking that it's wrong or a mistake or something, and the only right thing to do was to fight it. Although the more they kept it and fought with it, the stronger it grew. So strong that it overwhelmed people sometimes and take over their senses completely, ensuing actions that they never meant to do, like smashing cordless phones or snooping and spying around, or grinning like an idiot because somebody could never have his hands on someone else's baked brownies.

"Jesus Christ." She sighed exasperatedly, her fingertips rubbing her forehead soothingly. She didn't even have control over her thoughts anymore. They just fly the fuck around, pretty much everywhere, though all of them going down on the exact same thing.

Emily. And she had this certain feeling that everything's just starting. She hadn't seen the end of it.

She was pulled out from her musings when the phone rang, jumping a little at the sound of the first few rings. She shifted on her seat and hurriedly reached over for it, fumbling with the cordless phone momentarily because of her slightly shaking hand. "Emily?" She slapped her forehead as soon as she blurted out the name, hating how it sounded so needy when it came out of her lips.

"Naomi Campbell!"

She winced and pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment. "Mum." She rolled her eyes. "You're the second person to yell at me."

"You'll get more than just yelling if you were here!" Gina answered on the other line, sounding utterly wound up. "Will you explain to me what on earth is happening with you and Emily?"

"It's nothing Mum." She replied with a sigh, getting tired of explaining. She felt like all she did this day was to explain again and again. "Really."

"It's all over the news and you're telling me it's nothing?"

"We just had a huge fight."

"What did you do this time Naomi?" The older woman reprimanded.

"Jesus! It wasn't just my fault!" She exclaimed, her voice rising up a notch.

"Are you sassing your mother?"

"What? No!" She grimaced. "Of course not." She blew out a tired breath. "Look, Mum–"

"Whatever happened between the two of you, I want you to fix it." Gina broke off. "Emily is a very lovely girl. Don't go messing around with her."

"I know Mum."

"Stop being a twat to her Naomi." Gina added. "You hear me?"

The younger Campbell rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

"Don't make me come over there and give you some spanking yeah?"

"I get it Mum, okay?" She answered, bidding her mother goodbye as she felt her stomach rumbling all of a sudden. She tossed the phone on the couch and scurried her way to the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge for something that could resemble as a decent meal. She scowled upon finding nothing of her taste and decided to just order for some pizza, it being the first thing to pop up on her mind. She dialed on her phone and placed an order, finding herself saying Emily's favorite instead of hers and realizing it much, much later on, minutes after she had hung up the phone. She groaned.

She tossed and turned on the couch while waiting, the very same thoughts running on her mind once again and it's starting to annoy her really, because the more she thought of it, the more she felt empty and lonely, not to mention, confused to the tenth degree. And the maddening silence of the house isn't helping one bit.

She couldn't be any more thankful when the door bell rung, thinking that at least the food might get her off her thoughts even for a few minutes. Just a few minutes break would be nice. She hurriedly opened the door, her jaw scraping the floor at the sight of who was standing before her.

"Paid your pizza for you."

"Effy?" She called out. "What are you doing here?"

"Just dropping by." The brunette merely shrugged. "Aren't you gonna let me in?"

"Oh, right. Sorry." Naomi stepped aside and opened the door wider to let Effy in, settling on the couch and tossing the pizza box on top of the coffee table. The blonde opened the box, a sad smile shaping on her lips as she remembered it being Emily's favorite.

"Why are you staring at the bloody pizza?"

Naomi jumped at the sound of the brunette's voice, quickly grabbing a slice. "You want?" She turned to her and offered.

Effy shook her head. "By the way, I've got your dress ready for tomorrow night."

The blonde's forehead folded into a crease. "Tomorrow night?" She asked as she swallowed the bitten piece.

"Premier party?" Effy's brow shot up. "Don't tell me you've forgotten?"

"Oh, that." Naomi nodded her head upon remembering. "'Course not."

"Right." Effy snorted. "Where's Emily?" She asked after a while, her eyes roaming around the house.

It took a few seconds before Naomi could answer, the words caught up in her lips. "Moved out."

"Clean break then?" Effy smirked.

"No." The blonde shook her head. "Cooling off."

"Still don't want to talk about it?"

"Yeah."

"I figured." The brunette replied, watching Naomi finish her second pizza slice absentmindedly. "Something wrong?" She rolled her eyes when the blonde didn't answer, nudging her with her elbow.

"Sorry, what was that?" Naomi whipped her head to face the other girl. She couldn't let Effy see her spacing out.

"You seem out of yourself." Effy stated in an 'as a matter of fact' tone. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm okay." The blonde forced out a smile. "Do you want a drink?" She asked, subtly trying to drop the current subject.

"I drove here. I can't drink."

"I'm talking about orange juice Effy." Naomi snorted and rolled her eyes. "Or tea perhaps."

"Oh right." Effy let out a soft laugh. "Sure."

Naomi sprang up to her feet as she made her way to kitchen, stopping by the window when she noticed that the rain had started to pour real hard. "Eff, it's raining." She announced, making the brunette turn and look out to the window as well.

"Great." She groaned. "Just great."

A flash of lightning marked the sky followed by a roaring thunder, Naomi jumping at the sound of it as it echoed around the house. "Shit! It's a thunderstorm Eff! A thunderstorm!"

"Jesus Naomi! I bloody know it's a thunderstorm yeah." Effy cried out.

But Naomi wasn't listening to her at all. "Shit, shit, shit." She muttered anxiously as she started to pace back and forth from where she was standing, her teeth biting her raised fist when a different voice rang on her ears.

"_Nai-nai, I'm scared."_

"Naomi, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Fucking hell." She cursed under her breath, her mind starting to work out for the possible places where Emily could be staying.

Katie's? No, Emily didn't even know where she lived.

JJ's? Possibly.

Freddie's? No fucking way.

She quickly ran and grabbed her mobile phone on the coffee table, right beside the box of pizza, and dialed JJ's number. "Pick up, pick up, pick up." She held her breath for a few rings, blowing it out when JJ had finally answered her call. "JJ!" She called out, perhaps a little too loud.

"Naomi." He answered on the other line, sounding a little surprised and confused. "What's up?"

"Is Emily there?"

"Yeah, she's here. She's already asleep though." JJ replied. "Why?"

"How long?"

"About an hour ago."

"Thank Christ." She exhaled a sigh of relief, mainly for two reasons. First, Emily was already fast asleep before the thunderstorm came, so there could be little chance for her to get scared. Second, and the greatest reason of all to be honest, Emily wasn't sleeping at Freddie's house.

Fuck yeah.

"Could you check up on her JJ?" She couldn't help but ask. "She might wake up and get scared, you know, because of the thunder.

"Oh right. You know about that too huh?" She could hear his light steps on the stairs and a faint creaking of the door. "Yes, still fast asleep."

"Stay there JJ." She stated.

"What?" He cried out in disbelief.

"Stay there, just so in case she wakes up, she won't get scared."

"Oh, good point." JJ answered casually. "I'll just get my sleeping bag because the floor is bloody cold."

"I mean it JJ. Don't leave her alone in there." She warned with a heavy tone. "Not until the storm stops or I'll beat the life out of you yeah?"

"Don't worry." JJ assured. "I'm not going to leave."

"Great then." She smiled. "Thanks J."

"No problem."

Naomi pressed the red button and placed her phone on her pocket before turning to face a now scowling Effy. "So Eff, orange juice or tea?"

Effy's face turned stoic, but her eyes were flashing a glint of jealousy in them. "I'm going home, don't bother." She quickly stood up and grabbed her coat, darting out to the door and onto the pouring rain, straight to her car.

"But Effy, the rain's pouring—Fuck." Naomi slapped her forehead before sliding her palm down, scrunching her face altogether. "Shit." She groaned.

Just as when she's got things _almost _figured out, Effy would come along.


	29. Phone calls and Roses

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 29

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: ** _She was torn between being glad and being entirely blasé about it, because, if truth be told, what had happened during the past days weren't easy to forget. There were words spoken out between her and Naomi that just couldn't be ignored or forgotten that easily, words that would surely take time to be effaced completely, to heal the wounds it had inflicted on both of them. A single phone call couldn't make up for all of it, for it would take far more than that to fix things._

**A/N: **Next chap guys. Not pretty sure of this, but I did my best to bring out something good in it. I hope you all like it though. Thanks for all the comments and reviews. And if you have time, kindly review on your way out. Thanks again.

Emily stirred from the bed and let out a huge yawn, rolling onto her side to stretch out wide as she slowly roused from her deep slumber. She shuffled over the soft cream sheets, the thick covers rustling as she shifted and propped on her elbows, rolling her head from side to side to stretch her neck. Another yawn escaped from her lips and she breathed deeply, the morning breeze filling her chest with fresh, cool air. She shifted again to sit properly this time, arranging the pillows first before sliding out of the covers. Her eyes were still a tad bit lidded that she had failed to take notice of the slumbering form lying inside the thick black sleeping bag on the floor, right next to her bed, tripping on it as she took a step. She toppled over a still snoring JJ, the impact eventually startling the poor boy and rousing him up completely, his piercing scream filling up the whole room as he fluttered his eyes open and shielded them with his hands. The red head quickly rolled away from him and heaved herself up to sit on the floor, her face pulling up at a hundred different directions all at once as she grimaced.

"JJ!" Emily called out amidst the loud screaming as she winced from the shrill sound echoing around. "JJ!"

"Mum!" He continued to scream, like he was having a nightmare or something. "Help!"

"JJ! Calm down yeah?" She gripped him by the shoulders and shook him as hard as she could, his head rocking to and fro as she did so. "JJ!" If he wasn't her best friend, she swore she would have slapped him ages ago.

Shaking JJ seemed like a good idea for he abruptly stopped screaming, his eyes wandering around the room as he slowly came into his senses. "Bugger." He finally managed to speak upon seeing the red head in front of him, while he tried to catch his breath concurrently, gasping incessantly for air as if his screaming sucked his lungs dry. "H-hey Emily." He dropped his hands down and let out an abashed smile.

"What the fuck are you doing sleeping on the floor?"

JJ blinked a few times and stared at Emily, looking like he was suddenly in a daze, his mouth hanging agape as he panted. "What am I doing here." He murmured, though mostly to his self.

"Yes JJ." Emily exhaled, the air blowing out of her nose quite noisily. "What are you doing sleeping on the floor?" She drawled out, the words rolling out of her tongue haltingly.

"What am I doing on the floor? What am I doing on the floor? What am I doing on the floor?" He mumbled hastily as he tried to recall the very reason why he slept on the floor in the first place. He lowered his head and shut his eyes tight, repeating the exact same words like a spell, until something flicked like a flashbulb in his mind. "I remember!" He broke into a grin and raised his forefinger enthusiastically. "Naomi called me last night." He smiled even wider, as if he was able to answer the one million pound question on some bloody game show.

Emily couldn't help but roll her eyes. "What does it have to do with you sleeping down here?" She spat out, harsher than she had been meaning to.

"She told me to sleep here last night." He paused as he watched Emily's hardened expression turn into confusion. "So you won't be scared."

" Me? Scared?" Emily's forehead folded into a crease. "Of what?"

"There was a thunderstorm." JJ went on. "She called and I told her you were already asleep. But still she wanted me to, to check up on you."

"She did that?" Emily asked hesitantly, her brow arching up.

"She did." JJ nodded his head frantically. "She wanted to make sure that you won't get scared or anything, if ever you wake up in the middle of the storm. So she asked me to sleep here. Told me that she'd, and I quote, beat the life out of me if I leave you alone."

"Really?" The red head fell into silence, her bottom lip caught in between her teeth as she stared at JJ with disbelieving eyes, the words he just spoken out ringing loudly in her ears. His voice grew fainter and fainter as he continued to babble, while she conversely got caught up in her own stream of thoughts, until she couldn't hear him anymore, the frenetic beating of her heart being the only sound she was aware of.

Naomi called to check up on her. She remembered.

She was torn between being glad and being entirely blasé about it, because, if truth be told, what had happened during the past days weren't easy to forget. There were words spoken out between her and Naomi that just couldn't be ignored or forgotten that easily, words that would surely take time to be effaced completely, to heal the wounds it had inflicted on both of them. A single phone call couldn't make up for all of it, for it would take far more than that to fix things.

Although, she couldn't help but relish the thought that Naomi made an effort to call in the middle of the night, couldn't help but bask on the idea that somehow she cared for her. She smiled inadvertently.

She wanted to just let it pass and put not much thought into it, because a phone call couldn't mean that much, yet every little unexpected thing that Naomi did seemed to make a mark on her memory. One of the few things she hated about herself and the effect Naomi had on her.

"Emily?"

The red head snapped out of her musings, the wafture of JJ's hand slowly registering in her eyes. She swallowed quickly and subtly shook her head, as if getting rid of her flying thoughts. "Yeah?" She turned her gaze and fixed her eyes on him.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." She nodded her head, probably too animatedly.

"You sure?"

"Yup." Emily nodded at him again. "Come on, let's go grab some breakfast." She stood up and was about to leave and head straight to the kitchen, when something flicked on her mind. She stopped by the door and propped her hand against the threshold, peering over her shoulder to call on JJ who was rolling up his sleeping bag. "Oh, erm, JJ?"

"Yes Emily?" He answered without looking up, busy wrestling with the zipper of his gear.

"Will you call Naomi for me?"

JJ stopped abruptly, his head snapping up so quick that it was a wonder he didn't get a whiplash or something. "You want me to call Naomi?" He watched as Emily nodded sheepishly and broke into a wide smile. "Sure. What do you want me to say?"

"Just say thanks, you know, for calling last night."

"Okay, no problem."

Emily flashed him a thankful smile before walking out of the room completely, biting on her bottom lip to stifle the huge grin that was breaking through.

Still, she couldn't help but be happy.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"Ugh. Bloody hell." Naomi batted her eyes open, blinking a few times as her vision slowly adjusted to the bright sunlight coming from the window, its rays scattering all over as it passed through the thick window glass. She groaned loudly and kicked her feet in the air when she heard a few knocks, the incessant ringing of the door bell being the very thing that woke her up. She grumpily rolled onto her side to get the door, a loud thud echoing around the whole house the moment she fell down face first from the couch, having been forgotten that she slept in it the previous night. Her nose collided with the cold marbled floor with such a strong impact that she had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from bursting into a fit of loud curses, biting it hard up to the point that she could almost taste the rusty flavor of blood. A strangled scream escaped from her throat when the knocks on her front door didn't stop, the annoying sound of the doorbell ringing along with it. "I can hear you okay?" She cried out as she heaved herself up, her hand clutching her throbbing nose, gently rubbing it to somehow ease the pain. She walked up to the door and twisted the handle, swinging it open violently to show how ungrateful she was on having visitors this wee hours of the morning, or whatever time of day it was already.

Panda's face lighted up at the sight of her, the grin she wore spreading from ear to ear. "Naomi!" She animatedly greeted, making Naomi wince a tad bit. She swore it was Pandora who was ringing the door bell.

"Morning Panda." She greeted back, her voice sounding muffled and a little bit weird because of her hand still pinching her nose. She turned hesitantly to Panda's companion and muttered a small "Hey." out of courtesy, not even expecting to get a reply.

Effy shifted her weight on her heels and uncrossed her arms, answering the blonde's greeting with a half nod. Naomi opened the door wide and stepped aside to give way for the two, leading them on the couch as they came in along with their stuff.

"What happened to you?" Panda asked as she took a seat, noticing the blonde's watery eyes. "Were you crying?"

"What? No." Naomi cried out. "I fell on the floor and hit my bloody nose."

"Ow, that must have hurt Naomi."

"It does Panda, it does."

"Why did you even fall on the floor?" Effy butted in.

"Fell asleep on the couch last night." Naomi answered, watching with quizzical eyes as Effy's brow quirked.

"Waiting for Emily to come back?" She asked in such a tone that sounded sardonic and jealous at the same time, her classic smirk curling up on her lips.

"Eff—" Naomi drawled out wearily. "I've just woken up. Don't start, please."

"Right." Effy tore her gaze away from the blonde. "We need to get dressed for the party tonight." She stated as nonchalantly as she could, stacking up the boxes they've brought in over the coffee table.

"Isn't it still a little bit early Eff?" It was Panda, her eyes fixed on the boxes being piled up, looking all amused.

"There are three of us who's gonna get ready." She replied as she stood up from her seat. "We need to be all set by six pm since the limo will pick us up around that time. And it's already one in the afternoon."

"Shit!" The blonde exclaimed. "I woke up that late?"

Effy merely let out a shrug. "I'm just gonna go get our shoes. They're in my car."

Naomi pressed her lips in a tight line as she hesitated for a few beats, before launching herself to follow Effy outside. "I'll help you." She softly spoke so as to not startle the brunette, yet let her presence be known. "Look, Eff." She took a deep breath while stacking the shoe boxes that the brunette handed in her arms. "About last night—"

Effy froze, stopping all of a sudden from rummaging through the car trunk. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths before she started to speak without looking at Naomi. "What about it?" She tried not to sound affected or anything, but her wavering voice gave her away.

"I-I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"If I did, I mean—" Naomi paused as she placed the shoe boxes gently on the ground, her hand reaching out to Effy's to turn her around. She caught her by the chin and made Effy look her way when the brunette averted her gaze and refused to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry if I did anything to hurt you." She muttered sincerely and offered a small smile.

"I'm sorry too." Effy answered after a few moments, along with a sigh. "I mean, I know I shouldn't have acted like that."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it." The blonde replied, leaning in to plant a kiss on top of Effy's hair. "We're sorted now yeah?"

"Yeah." Effy nodded at her. "Sure."

Naomi pulled her into a tight hug and planted another kiss on top of her hair before picking up the shoe boxes as they headed back to the house.

A couple of burned ears from hair straighteners and one broken make-up kit later, mostly Panda's fault, Naomi picked up her phone that started vibrating on top of her night stand. Glancing on the screen, her forehead folded into a crease when she saw JJ's number calling. She hit the green button and placed the mobile in between her ear and her shoulder, stooping down to reach for her shoes on the floor. "What's up JJ?"

"Hey Naomi." JJ greeted back cheerfully. "Emily asked me to call you."

She immediately froze at the sound of the red head's name, her mouth opening and closing as she attempted to say anything, but no words ever came out. Not even a single gibberish sound. "Naomi, are you there?" She heard him say and she swallowed hard to free her frantic beating heart that seemed to have lodged itself on her throat. "Y-yeah. I'm here." She stammered, finding it so pathetic because it wasn't even Emily she was talking to. Yet she was being like this. "What about her?"

"She wanted to say thanks." JJ replied casually, oblivious to the effects of his words to the blonde. "You know, for checking up on her last night."

"You told her that I called?" She cried out, her eyes growing wide with utter surprise, her cheeks turning bright pink.

"Well yeah." He answered hesitantly. "Was it meant to be a secret?"

"No, no." She shook her head and let out a small chuckle, laughing at herself mostly. Why was she even panicking? "It wasn't a secret."

"Oh, cool. I thought it was."

"No JJ."

"Well, that's all Naomi." JJ muttered. "I hope I didn't bother you or anything."

"Oh, no, you didn't. Don't worry. Hang on." She paused as she took a deep breath to settle her nerves. "Is Emily there?" She asked, the words spilling out from her tongue haltingly, perfectly unaware of another body freezing at the sound of the same name, it's grip on the eyeliner tightening that the poor thing was almost breaking in half.

"She's out at the moment." He replied apologetically, as if he was afraid that Naomi would blame him for letting Emily out.

Naomi's forehead crumpled into a scowl. "Is she out with Freddie?" She blurted out, the question escaping from her lips at breakneck speed that she sounded enormously jealous.

"Yeah, she is." JJ confirmed, incognizant of the grimace pulling out of Naomi's face. "He dropped by this afternoon and brought Emily's synopsis with him. He invited her out for a snack to talk about it."

"Why do they have to go out?" She retorted, her voice rising up a notch. "Can't they talk about it inside your house?"

"I-I don't know Naomi." JJ answered nervously. "At first Emily didn't want to go."

"But why did she go?"

"It's just that, Freddie said it wasn't a date. Just business with some hanging out."

"Business my fucking arse." She muttered in between her clenched teeth. "Did they tell you where they were going?"

"They didn't. Sorry."

"It's alright JJ." She heaved an exasperated sigh, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's okay, really." She heard JJ laugh on the other line. "I know how jealousy works. I've got to go now though. Have a nice day Naomi."

"What? Hang on! JJ!" She screamed on the receiver, rolling her eyes when the line went dead. She tossed her phone back to the nightstand after she pressed the red button, perching herself on the edge of the bed. She licked her lips furiously a couple of times as she tried to catch her breath, which had gone shallow without her knowing it. She clucked her tongue on the roof of her mouth, her fingertips gently rubbing the smooth skin of her forehead to help her uphold her composure, pushing back the impending rage she was starting to feel. She swallowed hard for the umpteenth time, the vile taste burning the back of her tongue, her stomach twisting once again into violent knots.

"You're going to ruin your make-up if you keep doing that."

Naomi quickly snapped her head to face Effy, throwing her an apologetic look once she met her eyes. "Sorry." She murmured, pressing her lips in a tight line as she closed her eyes and tipped her head up, letting it hung for a while.

"You've said sorry way too many times today." Effy snorted, much to Naomi's surprise. "Now, fix yourself. The limo's gonna be here any minute now." She turned around on her heels and bolted out to the door, leaving Naomi and her own thoughts alone in her room.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi was still fuming when she rode the shiny black limousine, still grumbling gibberish under her breath, Effy's presence not helping her to calm down, surprisingly. She fixed her eyes past the car window and onto the blurring streets outside, ducking out of Effy's, Pandora's and Thomas' meaningful exchange of glances as she busied herself on various things she was seeing, anything to just get her mind off of that particular something.

Freddie and Emily together, hanging out once again.

She couldn't stop the muffled groan that escaped from her throat as she thought of it, her teeth sinking deeper on her already dented thumb, her free hand curling into a tight fist.

"Naomi, is everything alright?" Thomas worriedly asked, reaching out one hand to place comfortingly on top of the blonde's knee.

She took a deep breath and screwed her eyes shut before nodding her head. "I'm fine Thomas." She answered almost breathlessly. "Really, I am." She added when Thomas didn't remove his hand from her knee.

Thomas gave her a gentle squeeze before withdrawing his hand. "Naomi, remember to keep your cool tonight yes?" He reminded her. "A lot of people will be asking you questions, possibly the same questions over and over." He paused, throwing her a serious look, trying to say that he meant real business. "Don't fuck this one up."

She opened her eyes to answer and that's when something hit her, a flash of blurring red hair across the street they had just turned into. Fiery red hair that was all too familiar to her, too familiar to be mistaken as someone else. She quickly shifted on her seat, her head turning around to see for herself, smiling at once as soon as she had proven that she was right. Because, really, how could she be wrong about it, about _her_. She twisted on the other side to see even better, completely ignoring the quizzical stares she was getting, her smile turning into one massive scowl when she remembered who was with _her_.

"Freddie." It wasn't supposed to come out. She was pretty sure she spat it acerbically just on her mind, but it was probably because she was feeling so enraged, so fucking jealous that it escaped from her lips as well, the name rolling out of her tongue like there was venom in it. She could feel Effy suddenly stiffening by her side, the awkward atmosphere inside the vehicle quickly changing into something else, something thick, that it made Naomi feel like she was choking, her breath hitching by the littlest second passing. She saw him bouncing on his heels as he made his way to Emily who was standing by the lamp post, with a bouquet of roses in hand and a wide stupid grin on his face. She watched him as he trailed the path, her mind working out on things at the same time, because there was something about roses and Emily, something she felt could go wrong.

"_Actually, I'm allergic to roses. I can't stop sneezing if I smell one."_

Shit!" She blurted out of nowhere as she quickly shifted back on her seat, startling everyone else who seemed to have been frozen as well. "Stop the car!" She shouted, ignoring the sudden tight grip of Effy's hand over hers.

"Just continue driving." Thomas countered, raising his voice.

"I said stop the car." She muttered in between clenched teeth.

"But Naomi—" It was Panda.

"There is no need to stop the car." Thomas shouted, his fingers balling into fists.

"I said stop the fucking car!" She shouted furiously, surprising the driver completely, leading the car to jerk into a quick stop. She hastily threw the car door open and was about to step out when she felt a pair of hands stopping her from getting out. She turned her head around and saw the pleading look on Effy's eyes, but the stern look on her face didn't falter a tad bit. She shook her head at her as she mumbled a soft "I'm sorry." before pulling her hand away forcefully from Effy's hold and stepping out of the car, leaving Effy in a daze, Thomas in fury and Panda in confusion.

Because right now, there was only one thing that mattered on her hazy mind.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily rocked back and forth on her heels while she waited for Freddie to come back from wherever he went to, her gaze wandering around as she tried to guess the direction where he could be coming from. She smiled when she saw him turning from around the corner, walking towards her with something on his hand, noticing it at once no matter how hard he tried to hide it. She decided to meet him halfway and was about to take a step when something caught her eyes from across the street, a flash of peroxide blonde hair walking towards her as well, if she wasn't mistaken. Her eyes grew so wide, that is seemed like it was going to pop out, her mouth hanging agape as the blonde drew nearer. She knew she was supposed to be turning around and running away from her, because she wasn't ready to see her yet, let alone face her. But then, here she was, helplessly rooted in place, as if her feet were glued intact on the bricked pavement, unable to move or even twitch. All she could do was flicker her eyes between Naomi and Freddie, both of them fast approaching while she remained frozen from where she was standing.

If there was any moment that she wished the ground would open up and swallow her, now would be the perfect time.

Naomi was getting nearer to her faster than Freddie was, her stern expression faltering, turning into something soft, something she couldn't give a name to. Emily couldn't help but watch Naomi intently, like she'd been put under a spell and couldn't look away as much as she tried to. The way Naomi's hair bounced while she walked, the way her pristine blue eyes flash a certain glint of warmth in them, the way her lips quivered and twitched as she got closer, drew nearer.

The way Naomi reminded her of Kiera Knightley on that Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Commercial, although she found Naomi much more gorgeous.

She could feel her breath hitching when Naomi finally got to her, stopping a mere inch away, Naomi's long slender arms reaching for her and pulling her closer. It was when everything had happened too fast, Freddie stopping midway of his walking, Naomi gripping her hand tightly.

The next thing she knew, a pair of warm lips was brushing against her own, Naomi's free hand cupping her cheek, the pad of her thumb gently stroking her now flushed skin. And she found herself kissing back, after all the wrong things that had happened, she was kissing her back.

She closed her eyes, letting herself be lost in the kiss, forgetting everything else that mattered altogether, even for just a short moment.


	30. Apologies

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 30

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: ** "_But Naomi heard it all, no matter how soft Emily whispered it, she heard it all. And it hit her with a strong blow, the impact making her stomach twist violently, a vile sickening feeling smoldering the back of her tongue."_

**A/N: **Next chap, sorry for the delay guys! Really hope you'd like it. Please comment or review if you got the time. :) Not sure with this chap as well, because I wrote most of it at around 4am lol. *crosses fingers* So please be nice. ^^

_Pull away._

She leaned in closer, her shaking hands clutching the hem of Naomi's sleek coat, clinging to it like she's holding on for her dear life.

_Pull away._

She held onto the coat tighter as she felt her knees starting to tremble, threatening to give way at any given moment, while she fought to stay upright, to stay standing in place.

_Pull away Emily. Just pull the fuck away._

It was a constant battle between her heart and her head, an internal struggle which she couldn't seem to decide upon, her mind telling her to do the right thing it thought was, her body behaving exactly otherwise. Like a push and pull of things, a fight for gaining total control. It was as if the more she thought of pulling away, of stopping herself from responding, the more she would edge closer instead.

Her whole head was spinning in a daze, her thoughts turning hazy by the littlest second passing by as a million words threaded together and formed a thousand questions inside her mind. Yet, the only thing she was capable of caring about was the feel of Naomi's lips against hers, the pleasant sound it made as their lips moved in perfect synch, filling her ears. They were moving in such a manner like they've been doing this since forever, when this, if truth be told, was actually the first time.

It was all so surreal, how this thing was happening all of a sudden, out of nowhere. How the world seemed to have stopped moving, everything around her freezing, turning into one massive blur and she couldn't see anything else as clearly as she could see Naomi.

And Emily would close her eyes again because she really didn't need to see, she just needed to feel.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

It was true then, what most people say, that the strongest emotions push you to do something you never thought you were capable of doing, something you never ever had planned. Push you into a spur of the moment decision, which you might probably regret later on, _might_. It wasn't what Naomi had exactly in mind, being that her first and foremost intention was to just take Emily away and probably, tell Freddie to sod off. Yet, the moment her eyes met those sparkling brown ones on the other side of the street, something deep inside her ignited all of a sudden, a strong unknown feeling she herself couldn't describe, let alone define. A certain strong emotion that overwhelmed her mind, and she found herself brimming with so much wanting, yearning to touch Emily, feel her, kiss her, the last thought lingering in her head, echoing, chanting over and over.

_Kiss Emily. Kiss Emily. Kiss Emily._

Fueled by jealousy, (yes she wasn't denying it anymore, although only to herself) and something else altogether, she found herself practically running down her path, her glorious strutting turning into quick, scrambled strides as she tried to race her way to Emily, knowing too well that someone else was also making his way towards her, trying to beat her to it.

And she wasn't going to back down. Not now.

The torn look on Emily's face and the occasional flicker of her eyes towards Freddie's direction only fired Naomi up, crossing the remaining distance between them in two giant strides, her hands hastily reaching for Emily's delicate fingers and her soft cheek to pull her closer and steady her, before she dipped her head down and claimed Emily's lips.

One brush of ruby red lips against hers and she completely gave up thinking, stopped arguing with her own thoughts, of the pros and of the cons, ceased finding a hundred reasons why she was doing it.

Because things like this need not to have the right reasons, just the right feelings.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi slowly pulled away from the red head, feeling the need to breathe a lungful of air, her lips pressed in a tight line as she stared at Emily with soft eyes. Her once hard expression was back up but her eyes remained yet the same, warm and glinting. She dropped the hand that was cupping Emily's cheek and backed away for a few steps, though the other hand stayed interlaced with the red head's own, not wanting to let her go completely. She took a deep breath and maintained her distance as she struggled hard to stop herself from leaning in again, the sight of Emily chewing her bottom lip inviting her in.

They stayed ultimately silent for a while, watching each other from under their gazes and heavy lids, the tension between them increasing as the moments passed. Nobody dared to open their mouth to speak, both lips tightly sealed for they were afraid to ask how or why, because none of them knew the answer, the logical reason and explanation above it all. It was like an unwritten rule that they both understood, as if talking about the kiss would break the fragile truce they were both carefully upholding.

"We need to talk." Naomi muttered after a few beats, clearing her throat as she finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

Emily nodded absentmindedly, letting herself be dragged across the street, still feeling a tad bit dizzy and heady from the kiss, her knees still badly shaking and her whole body buzzing. She felt Naomi pull her by the hand and held her in tow, obliging without any reservations or objections, her mind still too hazy to form any coherent stream of questions, as much as asking and voicing them out.

A worried, guilt-stricken glance down Freddie's direction and Emily was knocked back to her senses.

She reluctantly pulled her hand away from Naomi's tight hold, stopping midway of their walk. The blonde turned around with a baffled expression on her face. She quickly averted her gaze, unable to meet Naomi's questioning eyes, her brown orbs falling on a now Freddie-less pavement, with only the bouquet of roses left lying on the floor, its petals scattered almost everywhere. A pang of guilt rushed through her and she could feel herself tearing up a little. This was what she had always feared to happen, breaking Freddie's heart.

"Emily?" Naomi called out, all confused and not to mention, impatient.

"I-I don't think I should go with you." She stuttered as she hung her head low, refusing to meet Naomi's eyes.

"Why not?"

The red head heaved a deep, worried sigh. "Freddie." She barely whispered and shut her eyes tight.

"What about him?" Naomi retorted harshly, like every mention of _his_ name was sending her into an unexplainable frenzy.

"I-I can't leave him." Emily paused, taking a series of gulps before speaking again. "I can't just leave him like that."

Naomi snorted and a loud huff escaped her lips. "Why do you care about him so much?" She spat out, her voice rising up another notch.

Emily blew out an exasperated breath and closed her eyes, attempting to calm herself down. She was tired of fighting with Naomi, too tired of the endless bickering and shouting between them. "Because he's my friend." The red head looked up and fluttered her eyes open, her gaze falling on the blonde as she felt a certain spark of courage inside her.

Naomi just can't talk about Freddie like that. It was just unfair.

"Because he's never left me when, when—" She watched as the expectant look on Naomi's face turn into a scowl that was furrowing deeper on her forehead. "When you told me that I was nothing to you." She closed her eyes once more, her voice wavering as she felt her heart breaking all over again while she recalled and forced out the words. She swallowed hard to push back the lump that had formed on her throat, her arms instantaneously wrapping around herself as she felt the cool breezy night turn icy cold, shudders running up and down her spine. "That I'm nothing to you." She whispered breathlessly as she continued, the words spoken out almost inaudible. "He was always there when you weren't. He never kept me waiting."

But Naomi heard it all, no matter how soft Emily whispered it, she heard it all. And it hit her with a strong blow, the impact making her stomach twist violently, a vile sickening feeling smoldering the back of her tongue. Her eyes grew wide with shock and surprise but her stern face didn't falter, she tried not to, not even a subtle wince. She could feel her breath hitching little by little, the rise and fall of her chest getting shallower and faster.

She never meant to say it, God knows she never meant to.

"Emily I-I." The blonde stammered, her hand hesitantly reaching out for Emily's own. "Look, I didn't mean to—"She spat a tad bit harsh while she tried to explain, though she never intended for it to sound that way.

"I'm tired Naomi." Emily exhaled wearily and shook her head at the blonde, uncrossing her arms and dropping it to her sides. "I'm tired of us fighting all the time."

"I didn't, I mean, I never meant to—" Naomi spoke haltingly, struggling to push the words out of her mouth, though she was failing. She didn't even know where to start, what to say first. "Shit!" She cursed under her breath as she let her fingers run through her hair, her palm sliding down to slap her forehead as she tried to get a grip of herself, while the red head watched her with an expectant yet baffled expression. "I'm not—I'm not used to someone waiting for me okay?" Naomi spoke after a few beats. "Someone who's getting worried about me and calling me immediately if ever I run late."

Emily's forehead folded into a crease."What do you mean?"

"I'm not really used to explaining myself to someone whenever I'm late." The blonde averted her gaze, lowering her head to hide the sudden blush fast spreading across her cheeks, a blush out of deep chagrin. "I find it hard." She watched the red head from under her lids, Emily's now straight face encouraging her to go on. "I-I'm sorry, you know, if I kept you waiting most of the time."

Emily's lips curled up to the side and answered with a half nod, but didn't speak any further, her eyes falling everywhere except at the blonde. She could feel Naomi's blue eyes boring on her, her wide stares burning her skin, sinking in. But she couldn't bring herself to meet Naomi's eyes. She was too afraid to give anything away, too afraid that with just one look, her resolve would break. She wasn't sure if she was ready to forgive her, albeit having a huge part of her that just couldn't stay mad at Naomi too long. But she wanted to be angry at her, to let her know how much she was hurt that night, and up until now.

"Emily."

She didn't look at her, continued to stare blankly at somewhere else instead.

"Em listen—" She could hear Naomi heaving a deep sigh, could hear the pleading in her voice, could see her hesitating to reach out to her at the corner of her eyes. "What I said that night."

"What about it?"

"I didn't mean it." Naomi shook her head gently. "Not even a single word."

"And?"

"Y-you—" She paused for a while and pressed her lips in a tight line, taking a few deep breaths before she continued, her hands clutching the hem of her coat. "I'm only gonna say this once yeah?" She took one huge gulp and darted her tongue out to lick her drying lips.

"What?" Emily asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"You mean something." The blonde barely whispered, her eyes trained towards Emily. "You do mean something to me."

The red head snapped her head quickly, her gaze returning back to Naomi with wide, surprised eyes. "What?" She blurted out as her eyes squinted, her heart thumping loud on her chest. She heard what she said, heard every word exactly, but she needed to make sure, just this once, she needed to make sure of it.

"I told you I'm only gonna say it once." Naomi retorted and rolled her eyes. "I'm not gonna repeat myself."

"Ugh. You're unbelievable." Emily turned on her heels and started to walk away, her head shaking with utter disbelief. She was tired of playing games with Naomi, of putting her heart on the line.

The blonde quickly launched herself when she saw Emily leaving, catching the red head's wrist just in time. She was starting to develop this certain fear of seeing Emily walk away from her, like she'd disappear from her sight completely and she'd never see her again. She held her gently but firmly, and turned her around. "No, you're not gonna leave again." She blurted out with enough conviction, her eyes glaring wide. "You're not going anywhere."

"Wherever I go is my decision." The red head retorted as she tried to yank her hand away from Naomi's grip a couple of times, giving up eventually for the blonde's hold was inescapable.

"Why are you still mad at me?" Naomi cried out, her fingers circling tighter whenever Emily tried to wriggle away. "I said I'm sorry right?"

"It's not that easy alright?" Emily answered back. "It's not that easy to forget." She swallowed hard and tipped her head upwards to push back her stinging tears. She hated remembering that night, hated the surge of pain that would course through her every time she remembered.

Naomi slowly loosened her grip against Emily's wrist, her fingertips brushing downwards to the red head's fingers. "I really am sorry Emily. I really am." She murmured. "What do I need to do for you to believe me? Do you want me to drop on my knees to beg you?"

"What?" Emily hissed. "Jesus! No! What are you even talking about?"

"Then why won't you believe me?" The blonde asked anxiously.

"I never said that I don't believe you yeah?"

"So why are you still mad at me?"

"I'm not mad. I'm, I'm—" The red head grimaced, her nose scrunching up as she screwed her eyes shut and blew out a weary breath. "What do you really want from me Naomi? Why are you suddenly telling me these things?"

"Because—" Naomi licked her lips twice, blinking a few times as she swallowed for the umpteenth time that night, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. "B-because I want you back."

"Back where?"

"At the house." Naomi softly whispered, averting her gaze at once as she felt the hotness spread across her cheeks.

"I thought you wanted to live alone?" Emily's brow shot up. "You wanted me out of the house before right?" She watched as Naomi's lips quivered frantically, her mouth opening but closing again as she tried to answer. "Now I'm out, you've got what you want. Why would you ask me to go back?"

"Because it's kind of, it's kind of—"

"Kind of what?"

"Lonely." Naomi mumbled sheepishly. "I mean, it's, you know, too quiet." She quickly tore her gaze away from Emily, completely missing the stifled smile pulling up on her lips.

"Then go turn on the telly or something." Emily replied as she struggled to keep a straight face, hating how Naomi's little words could turn her frown into a wide smile.

"It's not the same." She shook her head, her lips curling on the side. "It's different when there are real people in there."

"Invite somebody else then."

"Why are you making this so hard for me Emily?" Naomi retorted all of a sudden. "I'm trying my best here yeah? Because I really mean it."

"See, see." The red head answered back, standing for herself. "That's what I mean. You've got too many mood swings that I can't get the hang of it." She lifted her forefinger to emphasize her point. "You get mad too easily."

"What?" The blonde exclaimed in disbelief. "I don't have mood swings!"

"Ask your Mum then!"

Naomi huffed out loud, her face pulling off on different directions, out of annoyance. "Look Emily, will you just come home with me?"

"I'll have to think about it." The red head replied nonchalantly.

"What?"

"You heard me. I said I'll have to think about it."

"Don't be such a prick." Naomi snapped back.

"And I'm the prick now?" Emily hissed. "Christ, I really can't believe you sometimes."

A low groan escaped from Naomi's throat as she fell into a fit of grumbles. She turned around for a few seconds, heaving deep breaths to calm herself down. They didn't need another fight, another fuel to add to the fire. She counted up to ten seconds inside her head before turning around to face the red head again. "I'm sorry for calling you a prick."

"Are you drunk?" Emily blurted out, her eyes narrowing as she eyed the blonde skeptically. "Are you on drugs?"

"What the fuck?" Naomi buried her face in her hands, scrunching it altogether. "Emily, I'm trying to be serious here."

"Why are you suddenly so kind?"

A series of miffed groans resonated in the blonde's throat, her hand flying to pinch the bridge of her nose. "I'm losing my patience Emily."

"You're the one asking a favor here." The red head replied, sounding all smug.

"Are you coming home with me or what?" Naomi bellowed, making Emily flinch.

"I told you, I need to think about it."

"Fuck this." The blonde shouted, her hands flailing in the air. She turned around, hailed a cab that had just passed by, opened the door before scurrying back to where Emily was standing. "You leave me no choice Emily." She muttered in between her gnashing teeth as she scooped the red head in her arms, catching Emily by surprise, and shoved her inside the cab while she ignored her screams and squirms. She hopped in as well and instructed the driver as she slammed the car door shut.

This was why nobody dared to mess with Naomi Campbell. It was a tacit rule. She'd always win.


	31. Choices

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 31

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_"__They were far too caught up with their little bickering that they didn't notice the way they edged closer to each other every time they spoke, their faces ending up a mere breath apart, noses almost touching."_

**A/N: **Next chap guys! Terribly sorry for the delay! This was written mostly around 4am so please be nice, coz I'm really not sure of this one. I'll make it up to you guys on the next chapters! Please leave a comment if you have the time! ^^ Thanks for sticking with this fic, and with me! Means a lot!

"Em—"

"I'm not talking to you." Emily scowled at the blonde, cutting her off as she threw her a heated glare, before turning her gaze back to the car window. She furiously folded her arms above her chest and scooted even further as she tried to keep the farthest distance she could possibly have away from Naomi, to the point that she was practically pushing herself against the car door.

"Right." Naomi replied with a huge smirk, shuffling on her seat so that she was sitting nearer to the red head, almost a mere inch away from her. She pressed her lips together to suppress an upcoming laugh when she saw Emily cringe, though a small chuckle managed to escape from her throat which she disguised as a feigned cough, but was just far too obvious to be faked, consequently earning her another sharp glare from Emily.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" The red head hissed, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Are you pissing me off on purpose?"

Naomi couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Emily, I don't want another fight yeah?" She retorted. "So don't start."

"I won't if you take me home."

"I am taking you home!" The blonde cried out, making Emily flinch.

"I live at JJ's place." The smaller girl replied firmly, her eyes still narrowed. "And you're clearly going the wrong way."

"Jesus Christ Emily!" Naomi hissed, keeping her voice down when she noticed the wary glances the cab driver was throwing at them, the reflections shown from the rear view mirror. "Will you just stop already? You're being all childish again."

"At least I don't have mood swings, for like, every fucking minute." Emily sassed back, her arms uncrossing from her chest, flailing in the air animatedly.

"Shut up." The blonde muttered in between her clenched teeth, her eyes glaring wide.

"No, I won't." Emily answered back, goading Naomi with a cock of her head.

"Shut up Emily, I'm telling you."

"You're not the boss of me!" The red head replied in a low, heavy tone.

"Shut up or I swear to God I'm going to kiss you again!" Naomi snapped back, her lips quivering with annoyance.

It took Emily several seconds before she could recover, the memory of their earlier kiss deluging her mind, causing a sudden blush spread all over her faint skin. Thankfully, it was dark enough in the car for her to hide the redness of her cheeks. "I hate you." She hissed lowly after a long pause.

They were far too caught up with their little bickering that they didn't notice the way they edged closer to each other every time they spoke, their faces ending up a mere breath apart, noses almost touching. It was Emily who first looked away, tearing her eyes angrily off Naomi, her head turning to the opposite side as she focused her attention on the blurring view on the outside instead. The blonde shifted on her seat and turned to face front with a look that was torn between amusement and infuriation, scooting a little to the other side to provide Emily some space. The rest of the ride was spent pretty much in silence, except for a few muffled groans and a series of low grumbles escaping from their throats, mostly from Emily's.

Naomi fumbled through her purse and pulled out a few bills, handing it to the driver as soon as the cab skidded into an absolute stop right in front of the gate of their empty house. She hurriedly pushed the car door open and hopped out, her hands propping against her hips when Emily stayed motionless on the back seat, with no intention of stepping out. She rolled her eyes and huffed out two quick breaths before stooping down to speak to the red head. "Emily, the driver's waiting for you to get off."

"Why am I gonna get off?" The red head replied sternly without even glancing at Naomi's direction. "This isn't my place."

Naomi let out an exasperated breath upon hearing Emily's words, rolling her eyes in the process. "Christ." She watched Emily intently with a glare for a few seconds, before finally slamming the car door shut when the red head didn't budge even a little. She went around and walked behind the car to get to Emily's side, flinging the car door open quickly. She ducked in and reached for Emily, her arms instantaneously slipping behind the red head's seated form, scooping her again and hanging her over her broad shoulders without any fair warning.

"Put me down!" Emily shouted in protest, squirming as much as she could for Naomi to set her down on her feet. "Naomi! Let me go!" She let out a few squeals and screams, flapping her arms and legs again and again as she tried to break free.

The blonde, however, just tightened her hold around Emily's knees in answer, fumbling through her purse for her keys when she reached the front door. She kicked the door open and tossed her keys and her purse on the table standing nearby, heading straightaway to the living room to drop Emily on the couch, earning another hateful glare from the red head for the umptieth time already.

If looks could kill, she'd probably be dead by now.

Emily quickly sprang up to her feet to leave the moment her had body hit the couch, only to be pushed back to her seat by a hovering Naomi. "Sit down." She heard the blonde spoke but ignored it completely, getting up once more, simply to be pushed back for the second time around.

"I said sit down." Naomi snapped as she raised her forefinger at the red head, her voice so full of authority that Emily didn't recognize, surprising her entirely, making her flinch and sink onto the couch while sulking. The blonde then started pacing back and forth from where she was standing, one hand propped on her hips while the other was curled into fist, pressed up against her lips, her forehead crumpled like she was contemplating about something deeply. "Look Em." She spoke calmly after a few beats, settling to sit on top of the coffee table, right in front of Emily. "I just, I wanna sort things out okay?" She clasped her hands together and took a deep breath. "I mean, between us."

Emily lifted her gaze from the floor to face Naomi, eyeing her with an incredulous look. "Things just can't be fixed overnight Naomi." She shook her head at her.

"I know." The blonde paused, catching her lip in between her teeth. "Believe me, I know." She watched as Emily turned her head away from her, her gaze falling everywhere but her. "Look, let's do it this way." She continued. "Lay your terms Em."

"What?" The red head asked, her brow arching up in confusion.

"Lay your terms. Tell me what you want. Your dos and don'ts." Naomi shrugged. "Tell me anything."

"Oh I've got one." Emily replied sardonically, her teeth baring as she sneered. "Leave me alone."

A riled groan resonated from Naomi's throat as she unclasped her hands and buried her face on her palms, scrunching it exasperatedly. "Christ Emily." She huffed out loud along with a grimace. "Why are you being so difficult?"

Emily's sneer slowly disappeared from her lips, her features being replaced by a hard expression. "Now you know how it feels." The red head replied in a serious tone, with a hint of sadness in it. "How hard it could sometimes be when you want to get along with somebody. But they won't let you." She lowered her head, fixing her eyes on her fidgeting fingers to hide the verging tears threatening to fall.

"I'm sorry." A faint murmur came from Naomi after a short pause, the words barely escaping her lips. "I could be a real twat sometimes." She watched as Emily gently nodded her head, letting out a sad laugh, more to herself. "Emily." She softly called out, her hand hesitantly reaching forward.

The red head took a deep breath, her fingers subtly wiping away the fallen tears from her eyes. She slowly lifted her head to meet Naomi's gaze. "What?"

"Next time I run late." The blonde paused as she took a hard swallow. "I'll make sure to call you and explain to you why." She continued, dragging another deep breath as she spoke. "I won't keep you waiting again."

"Don't." Emily replied quickly with a slight shake of the head.

"Don't what?"

"Don't promise me anything." She barely whispered. "Just don't, please."

"Then what?" Naomi couldn't help but ask. "What do you want me to do?"

Emily shut her eyes tight and bit her lip as she inhaled a long, deep breath. When she fluttered her eyes open, she could see the expectant look on Naomi's face, waiting for any form of reply from her. She tipped her head up and took a few swallows to push back the lump on her throat completely, her gaze falling anywhere except the blonde in front of her when she brought it down, anywhere except at those piercing blue eyes."Flowers." She murmured after a few moments of silence between them, when she finally found the will to speak. "Buy me flowers every Wednesday." She continued upon seeing the curious yet confused look on Naomi's face. It was kind of ridiculous, but she couldn't think of anything to say, didn't want to think of anything anymore. Her mind could only handle enough for one day and everything that followed after the kiss was just all too much, the apologies, the confessions, just everything. And this somewhat changed Naomi, this gentle one made it all worse, more confusing, complicated like it already wasn't. She wanted to let Naomi in, but she was too afraid that she'd fall harder and end up breaking her heart again.

"Flowers."

The red head nodded gently. "Let's go to sleep." She stood up from the couch and turned to leave, making her way to the staircase. "Em." She heard Naomi call, feeling a couple of slender fingers circling around her wrist, holding her gently. She twisted around and peered over her shoulder, eyeing the blonde with a quizzical look. "Yeah?"

"I can't promise that I can change." Naomi shook her head.

"I know that." Emily replied, turning around again once the blonde had let go of her hand.

Naomi watched quietly as Emily treaded her way upstairs without chancing any glance to her, springing up to her feet as well when she heard the soft thud of the closing door.

She can't promise that she could change, but it didn't mean that she wouldn't try.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

The first thing Emily thought upon waking up next morning was that last night was all just a dream, something she had managed to conjure up from her subconscious mind to somehow cover-up and spare her feelings from getting hurt further. But the awkward atmosphere surrounding them once they got settled at the dining table later on seemed to make last night's events more real. They sat mostly in silence during breakfast, with an occasional exchange of glimpses and timid smiles, not really knowing who or how they would indulge into a conversion without feeling abashed or embarrassed. It was like running into each other for the first time ever, (because their actual first meeting wasn't exactly that remarkable and they'd rarely gotten along after) as they watched one another from under their lids, waiting for any single sign to at least give them a boost to break the ice. Both of them seemed to be restless on their seats, shifting and shuffling more than usual, their knees brushing against each other from time to time whenever they move or uncross their legs, further adding tension like they ever need more than how much there already was.

Pancakes, breakfast was made of just a plateful of pancakes and it's taking them longer than an hour to finish it.

They both reached for the maple syrup at the same time, causing their fingers to lightly touch against each other accidentally, the brief contact sending a thousand jolts running down their spines, making them pull away quickly.

Emily cleared her throat after a few beats, finally able to get her heart beating back to normal. "You go first." She muttered and let out a tight smile, pushing the syrup closer to Naomi.

The blonde returned the smile before grabbing the syrup to squeeze some on top of her pancakes. "Thanks." She softly murmured, handing over the bottle to the red head.

Emily took the container and squeezed it as well, happily forming an 'E' with the syrup out of habit, unaware of the amused glances Naomi was throwing at her. She smiled contentedly at her work after drawing little flower shapes on the sides, finally placing down the bottle back on the table.

"Do you want bees and butterflies to go with that too?" Naomi couldn't help but ask, biting her bottom lip to stifle her laughter. "Or maybe grasshoppers, though they're pretty hard to draw." She gnawed on her lip harder as she felt her shoulders shake a little while she suppressed her laughter, the nettled look on Emily's face stopping her abruptly from joking around, and she pressed her lips together when she saw the red head's lips quirk. "I'm kidding Em."

"Right." Emily rolled her eyes. "I suppose that's your way of saying good morning."

"Sorry." She mumbled, throwing an apologetic look towards the red head. "I was just trying to make things, you know, light."

"Well you could start by behaving well and playing nice."

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed?" Naomi bantered, surreptitiously crossing her fingers that the red head would drop her sullen mood, because, really, this awkwardness was killing her.

"Yeah, kind of. Sorry about that." Emily bit her lip, bringing her gaze down on the fork she was holding. "I went a little off."

"I figured." The blonde let out a shrug as she stuffed her mouth with a forkful of pancake.

"Truce then?" Emily asked, a small hesitant smile pulling up on her lips as she lifted her head to face the blonde. "I mean, after all, we're going to live under the same roof again for a month."

"A month?" Naomi blurted out, her face pulling into a grimace.

"Well yeah." The red head answered. "Three months is what's written on the contract right?"

The blonde's mouth opened and closed, unable to think of anything to say as she was too surprised of what she had just heard. "Right, right." She nodded upon recovering, forcing out a smile to hide her sudden look of surprise. Too much had happened that she totally lost track of time, even had forgotten about their contract completely. She wasn't ready for it to end, not when it seemed like everything was just starting. And she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the house, a certain desire rising in her chest, that particular need to freeze time, to stop it from passing so quickly. It had to do with someone else.

It was only now had she realized how precious time could be.

"Naomi?" Emily called out, her forehead crumpling as she watched the blonde get lost on her thoughts. "Are you alright?" She reached out and extended her hand, covering Naomi's hand that was lying on the table. "Hey."

The sudden contact snapped the blonde out of her daze, feeling a strong jolt of electricity travel down her spine. She subtly shook her head and quickly turned her gaze to meet Emily's eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I'm good."

"So what do you say?" Emily asked, her hand still placed on top of Naomi's.

"Sorry?"

"About the truce?"

"Oh that." Naomi replied, nodding her head in understanding as she threw a hasty glance towards their linked hands. "Yeah, sure. No problem." She swallowed hard, silently wishing that Emily wouldn't feel the goose bumps that were starting to creep all over her skin.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"I'm going out in a few by the way."

Emily popped her head from the kitchen door threshold upon hearing Naomi call out from the living room. "Will you be back by dinner?" She asked back as she unhooked the apron from her neck.

"I'm not sure." The blonde replied. "I'm going to Effy's after the shoot to return the dress I wore yesterday."

Emily's nimble fingers stopped midway of untying the knot around her waist at the sound of Effy's name, feeling a rush of mixed emotions surge through her. She breathed deeply twice before taking a gulp to clear her throat. "Oh, right." She grimaced upon hearing her voice slightly break down, annoyed as well when she failed to come up with something better than what she had just said. Sometimes, she could just be so fucking obvious.

"I'll try to be back as early as I can." She jumped at the sound of Naomi's voice, turning around to see the blonde already standing behind her.

"No, no." Emily shook her head. "Take your time. I'm going to JJ's anyways to get my things."

"Oh, do you need some help?"

"I don't think so. They're not that much." She shrugged. "Just one suitcase."

"I'll drive you there if you want." Naomi offered again.

"Don't worry about it." Emily smiled, though a tad bit uptight. "Just go to Effy's yeah? I'll be fine."

"Well if you say so." The blonde turned on her heels, but looked back when she suddenly remembered something. "If you need help call me yeah? Me and not anybody else." She muttered, the last few words rolling out of her tongue with such weight and hint. She turned around and marched happily towards her room upon hearing Emily answer with a faint "Yeah.".

Minutes after Naomi had gone, after dropping her at the bus stop as the blonde insisted that they leave together to save her from walking quite a long way, Emily decided to check up on Freddie first before heading to JJ's, knowing that sooner or later, she'd have to face him to apologize. Riding the bus once it had arrived, she braced herself for whatever was going to come to her, may it be a rant or a fit that Freddie would throw, because partly she knew that she was at fault. She probably deserved whatever he was going to say, because she had hurt him that much. And if Freddie ever decided that he'd quit and stay away, even if she wanted him to be her friend that bad, she'd have no choice but to accept it, because insisting on keeping him was nothing but being selfish. She needed to be fair to him, though she knew that it was going to hurt her somehow, having been grown to like him better than when they first met.

She had the very same thoughts running on her mind up until she boarded the lift, her heart beating frantically against her chest when she heard that familiar 'ding', the lift doors swinging open, revealing the floor where Freddie's office was. She took a deep breath to somehow calm her nerves down before stepping out of the lift and heading towards her purpose. Finally reaching the door of Freddie's office, she raised one fist and was about to knock when she heard muffled voices coming from inside. She dropped her hand down and leaned closer, her curiosity getting the best of her because the voices just sounded so familiar, that she could hardly be mistaken about who owned them. She pressed her ear against the door, though she knew how disrespectful eavesdropping was, karma taking over at once upon hearing the conversation, wishing that she should have just not listened at all.

"A choice?"

"Yes, Freddie. A choice. I've made a choice."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not going to want you anymore."

"Oh, right."

"It's _her_."

"_Her_? I'm not sure I get what you mean Effy."

"I choose _her_ Freddie. It's _her _I want now."


	32. Waiting

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 32

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_It wasn't even a threat, just a mere statement of fact casually spoken, though with enough conviction in its tone that it scared her, affrighted her in such a way that it made her dread something to a greater extent than the utmost of her fears, more than the thunderstorms and the clowns, more than anything else she had ever been afraid of._

**A/N: **Chapter 32 *wiggles* I hope you like this chap. The next update might be delayed because I'll be returning the laptop I borrowed. :( But I'll try and work something out :D Please leave a comment/ review if you have the time. Here it is. *crosses fingers*

How do you exactly get out of some place you desperately want to escape from, when you're too stunned to move, too frozen to even twitch a single muscle, too numb that you couldn't feel your legs at all? And if not for the feeling of your heart thumping out loud against your chest, you'd probably think that you're dead because you'd forgotten how to breathe, the air stuck in your lungs as you inhaled a mouthful but didn't expel it out.

It was as if your feet suddenly had grown roots and dug themselves through the floor you were standing at, that no matter how much effort you had exerted just to make a single tiny movement, like forcing your toes to curl up, it would all go down to waste. Like you were suddenly turned into some stone statue, on which even blinking seemed next to impossible to do. You turned absolutely stock-still, that the expression you'd been wearing moments ago was still evident on your face up until now, mouth hanging wide open, eyes bulging like they were almost popping out.

Three simple words and every individual part of Emily's body felt like it ceased functioning altogether.

"_I choose her."_

It wasn't even a threat, just a mere statement of fact casually spoken, though with enough conviction in its tone that it scared her, affrighted her in such a way that it made her dread something to a greater extent than the utmost of her fears, more than the thunderstorms and the clowns, more than anything else she had ever been afraid of. She wanted to pretend that she heard it wrong, that the 'her' Effy was talking about wasn't who she was thinking it was, because Jesus, 'her' was a fucking pronoun widely used to refer to every bloody female out there.

But she heard every word clearly, like it was screamed right on her face and not heard through behind the thick door.

And she was so much sure that Effy could only be pertaining to one person. It weakened her resolve, that all her attempts to convince herself to actually deny something that was so obvious just went down, shoved straight to the bin. She wanted to lean in again, to press her ears once more against the wooden door, but she was too afraid to hear the name slip right out of Effy's lips, because by then, all that she had been dreading about would become real.

She just wasn't that brave enough to face it, to face the fact that now Effy had made her choice, she could lose Naomi with a mere flick of her fingers. She might have constantly refused to acknowledge it, but she wasn't actually that blind not to see it, that certain hold Effy had on Naomi, like her fingers were delicately wrapped around Naomi's shoulders, ready to keep Naomi with her when someone tried to take her away. Emily knew she was being unfair by thinking badly about Effy because she didn't know her that well, but she couldn't help it, couldn't understand this certain hold no matter how hard she tried to. She wanted to be fair to Effy because among the top things she had always hated, injustice was one of them. She wanted _not_ to hate Effy, for she really had no reason to. But she's just one fragile human who was vulnerable enough to lose her logical judgments against overwhelming jealousy, especially when her thoughts wander to Effy's hold turning tender, almost loving, and it made her heart ache, because she was so sure that Naomi would lean against Effy's touch, while she'd strain away from hers.

She shook her head and quickly turned around upon hearing a chair scrape loudly against the floor, the muffled sound barely passing the thick wooden door, abruptly pulling her out of her musings. She scrambled to her feet and scurried down the hallway, straight to the lift queue, fighting her tears hard as they threaten to fall. She willed herself not to cry, because she's just tired of it, tired of feeling weak all the time, worse it made her feel like she's just some wimp that could be bullied by everybody around. She knew she could always make a stand, perfectly knew that she was capable to fight. It all just depends on how much she's willing to lose, how much she's willing to risk. The lift doors swung open and she stepped inside, with a new decision running on her mind.

If Effy's words meant what she supposed it did, then she's not going to back down.

_It_ being worthy wasn't even a question.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Naomi took a deep breath before reaching for the handle of the glass door of Effy's shop, pushing it ever so gently to make the littlest noise she could. Slowly walking inside, her neck craned in search for Effy, her steps uncertain as she trod towards the brunette upon finding her standing near the rack of clothes, Effy's back turned from her. She stopped a fair distance away from the brunette and cleared her throat, her heart beating nervously as Effy slowly turned around. She offered her a tentative smile, not really knowing what to expect of Effy's reply, for they hadn't spoken to each other ever since that night she left her on the car. She lowered her head and watched the brunette from under her lids when Effy just stood there before her, hand resting on one of the racks, her face expressionless as ever.

"Hey Eff." She softly greeted, her gaze flickering from the brunette's face and the floor. It was just entirely uncomfortable, seeing Effy like this. She just wasn't used to it. "Listen, I-I—"

"Don't say you're sorry." Effy broke off quickly. "If you want us to still be friends, don't say it."

"But Eff—"

"Look. I just want to forget about it yeah?" The brunette retorted. "I'm pretending it didn't happen."

"Oh, okay." Naomi nodded, finally lifting her gaze to stare at Effy directly, biting her lip when the brunette's expression didn't falter. "I think you're still mad at me." She spoke after a few moments of complete silence.

"And why would you even think that?"

"Because you're not even smiling."

"Jesus Naomi." Effy rolled her eyes. "Just because I don't smile doesn't mean I hate the world already."

"Right." Naomi pressed her lips together. "I'm really—"

"I told you, don't say it." The brunette cried out, quickly cutting the other girl off. "For the record, I'm not mad yeah?"

"You aren't?"

"Yeah. I'm not mad." Effy quickly averted her gaze and lowered her head. "I'm a bit hurt, but not mad."

It was all that Naomi needed to finally cross the distance between her and Effy. She slowly walked towards her, one hand reaching for Effy's chin, bringing it around to face her as she slipped a couple of fingers under it. "Hey." She softly called out, smiling a little when she met Effy's eyes. "Don't be."

"Sorry." Effy mumbled as she uncrossed her arms from her chest, dropping them to her sides.

"Silly you." The blonde replied. "Why would you be?"

Effy hunched her shoulders, letting out a shrug. "I don't know. Just feels like it."

Naomi rolled her eyes. "I really don't get you sometimes."

"You don't always have to right?" The brunette answered, her lips curling up to a smirk. "I mean, where's the fun in that?"

"Right. It's always fun solving bloody cryptic moods." Naomi replied sardonically, her teeth baring as she let out a sneer.

"Shut up."

The blonde let out a soft chuckle and moved her hand around Effy's shoulder. "We're sorted then?"

Effy's smirk turned into one wide smile as she answered with a nod, smiling even wider when Naomi pulled her into a hug and planted a kiss on her forehead. "You're getting all handsy again." She snorted, biting her lip to stifle her laughter.

"The fuck Eff." Naomi quickly pulled away, her face contorting into a grimace. "Way to ruin best friend bonding time yeah?"

"Ewww. You call this soppy shit bonding time?"

"Right. This isn't us." The blonde replied, bursting into a fit of giggles upon seeing the disgust on Effy's face.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

"Em?"

"Hey."

She smiled upon hearing Emily's husky voice on the other line. "Were you able to get your things at JJ's?"

"Yeah. They're in my room now." Emily answered. "Where are you now?"

"At the bar." She casually replied, lifting her hand to signal to Effy who had just come back from the loo.

"Are you drinking?"

"No." She let out a small chuckle, noticing Emily's worried tone. "No, I'm not, I promise."

"Good, coz you're driving." The red head answered, letting out a breath of relief. "So you won't be home for dinner then?"

"I don't think I'd make it." Naomi replied. "I'm not even sure how late I'll be. Effy wants to drink."

"Oh." Emily mumbled ever so softly that the blonde barely heard it, the memory of what she had heard earlier rushing back to her mind. "Right. I see."

"You alright?" Naomi asked, noticing the sudden change on Emily's tone.

"Yeah." The red head answered, pushing the lump suddenly lodging on her throat. "I guess I'm just tired."

"You should sleep then. Don't wait for me yeah?"

"I--"

"I have to go now Em." She broke off hurriedly upon seeing a couple of guys beginning to hover around Effy, one of them extending his hand towards her. She quickly pressed the red button, scurrying towards Effy as she placed the phone back to her pocket. She was halfway down to the bar stool where Effy was seated when she saw the men walking away, a triumphant smirk plastered on Effy's face. She let out a short sigh of relief and slipped beside the brunette.

"What was that?"

Effy merely shook her head. "Wankers."

She fell into a chortle and signaled to the bar tender for a drink.

"Naomi."

The blonde switched her gaze from the beer can she was handed by, to Effy's face, tilting her head to the side so that she could see her clearly. "Yeah?"

"Remember that--"

"Hang on Eff." Naomi broke off all of a sudden as she fished her phone out again, holding her forefinger up when she dialed Emily's number for the second time that night. "I just need to tell Em something." She twisted to her other side that she didn't see the glint of jealousy that flashed through Effy's electric blue eyes. "Em?"

"Naomi?" The red head answered on the other line. "What is it?"

"Don't fall asleep by the desk." Naomi reminded, shaking her head though Emily couldn't really see it. "Or the couch yeah? Sleep in your room okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Emily replied casually.

"I'll smack you in the head if I see you sleeping downstairs." She smiled upon hearing Emily giggle. "I'm serious."

"'Course you are."

"Right. I have to go."

"Drive safely."

She snapped her phone shut and shuffled on her seat to face Effy, who just in time managed to force a smile. "Sorry about that." Naomi apologized. "What was that you we're saying Eff?"

"I was gonna ask if you remember that time when we were like 12?" Effy dragged her eyes upwards as she tried to recall if what she was saying was right. "When some random boy in our class stole my eraser?"

Naomi snorted out loud as she remembered, laughing so hard at the memory that the beer almost spilled on top of the counter. "And I punched him squarely on the face because he made you cry."

Effy nodded exceedingly, laughing as well. "And Freddie pulled his pants down that the whole class saw his willy."

"But I never got your eraser back." Naomi spoke after a few beats, once their laughter had died down. "It was Freddie who got it for you."

"Well, yeah." Effy answered with a shrug. "Back then, I used to think Freddie was my hero." She shifted on the stool, uncrossing her legs as she tilted her head up. "But now that I think of it. It was you who first made the move, who first wanted to stand up for me." She dropped her gaze, turning her head to offer a small smile to the blonde sitting beside her. "You were always there for me Naomi."

"Because you were there for me too Eff." Naomi answered. "That's what friends do right?"

"You were there even if I was taking you for granted." She smiled to her sadly, her eyes softening. "You had to put up with me all the time."

"Effy." The blonde drawled out. "I'm not complaining okay? Did you ever hear me complain?"

"No." The brunette shook her head. "But that doesn't mean you're okay with it."

"Eff, look." Naomi reached out, taking one of the other girl's hands and putting it in between hers. "If I wasn't okay with it, I would have fucked off a long time ago." She smiled as she caught a lock of her hair and tucked it in behind Effy's ear. "Really Eff. I owe you more than you can ever think of."

"It's just that--"

"No. Don't." Naomi interrupted with a firm shake of her head. "No feeling guilty or shit like that alright?"

Effy broke into a smile. "Right." She nodded at Naomi. "Thanks." She leaned in, planting a soft yet firm kiss on Naomi's cheek.

O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O

Emily had been seating at the wooden chair swing for hours now, having been there right after she spoke at Naomi on the phone. She had her head tipped up, her back leaning against the wooden rest as she stared at the sky above her, her feet kicking the ground from time to time to rock the swing back and forth. She let out a series of deep sighs as she got lost among her scattered thoughts, shaking her head each and every time it wandered around anything related to Effy and what she had heard that morning. She knew she had made a decision, that she'd fight for Naomi given the chance no matter how stacked the odds were against her. But she wasn't ready yet, hadn't even prepared herself for whatever was going to come, hadn't even talked to Freddie. Because if she was going to do this, then she needed to draw a line to their friendship. As much as she appreciated Freddie's presence, especially at times when she needed somebody most, she didn't want to break his heart and cause him so much pain. It would be hard, since she had gotten quite used to him being there, but she didn't want him to be her comfort zone or something. She knew exactly how it would feel to love somebody who might not be able to love you back, knew how it would hurt if it was blatantly shown, the inability to return the same feelings. She heaved another deep sigh and titled her head, screwing her eyes shut as she attempted to let herself drift to sleep. But she couldn't, how could she sleep when she knew that Naomi's out with Effy, having fun and God knows what.

"Em?"

She quickly shifted around, her head whipping at breakneck speed that it almost hurt her neck, a wide smile instantaneously shaping on her lips when she saw Naomi leaning against the kitchen threshold. She had never been more than glad to see her. "You're home." It came out so softly, almost like a squeal that she grimaced when she heard it, her voice sounding like she just came from crying.

"What are you doing there?" Naomi asked, cocking her head to point at her. "I told you not to wait didn't I?" She walked towards the red head slowly, scowling at her for not following what she said. "I told you to go to sleep."

"I--" Emily tried to speak but something seemed to be lodged on her throat that she couldn't push the words out.

"Don't you trust me?" Naomi moved further, stopping right before the red head who was still seated on the wooden chair swing.

"No, i-it's not like that." The smaller girl animatedly shook her head, stopping abruptly when a small smile crept up on Naomi's lips.

"Here." The blonde murmured, producing a bouquet of lilies from behind her. "It's Wednesday." She murmured, seeing the surprised and confused expression on Emily's face. She smiled sheepishly, lowering her head a little to hide the light blush spreading across her cheeks, though she didn't fail to see that special glint dancing on Emily's eyes.

"You remembered." The red head barely whispered, her hands slowly reaching for the flowers. "It's beautiful." She could feel her heart pounding frantically, the flowers clutched tightly on her hands. It was a small thing really, but the fact that Naomi remembered was more than enough to make her heart swell with glee. "Thank you."

"'Course I remember." Naomi blurted out. "I'm not as old as my Mum to actually forget." She let out a small chuckle as she sat next to Emily by the swing. "So why are you still up yet?"

"I couldn't sleep." Emily answered sheepishly, feeling the hotness spread fast on her cheeks.

"Waiting for me eh?"

"No. Why would I?"

"Right." Naomi snorted out. "Whatever gives you peace of mind."

"I wasn't waiting yeah?" Emily replied defensively. "I just--I just couldn't sleep." She lifted her hand, covering her mouth as a small yawn escaped from her lips.

"And now you can, because I'm already here." The blonde bantered, seeing the yawn that Emily tried to hide.

"You're so up yourself, aren't you?"

"I'm just stating the fact Em."

"Whatever." Emily rolled her eyes, tipping her head up once again. "I like it here." She spoke after a few beats, smiling a little when she felt Naomi scoot a tad bit nearer to her.

"It's nice." The blonde answered. "It really is."

"Mhm." Emily merely moaned, feeling her eyes droop a little. She had no idea what time it already was and she was practically worn out. Somnolence was dawning over her now that she wasn't worked up anymore, not worried about where Naomi could possibly be.

"You should get to sleep Emily." Naomi whispered, leaning a little closer, her head hovering above Emily's face.

"Don't want to." The red head slurred, her eyes fluttering open as she tried to fight the sleep that was starting to take over her.

Naomi blew out a deep breath before resting back to her seat, one arm snaking behind Emily's shoulder as she pulled her gently towards her, letting Emily's head rest on the crook of her neck. "You're so stubborn, you know that." She could feel Emily nodding against her shoulder.

"As you are."

The blonde had to suppress her laughter as to not shake Emily. She's nearly as dead as a log but she was still arguing with her. She closed her eyes for a moment, basking on the feeling of the red head's hot breath hitting her skin, her own hand constantly rubbing up and down Emily's shoulder. "Em." She whispered softly.

"Hmm?"

"When you said--" She broke off, swallowing hard first as she felt a sudden lodge on her throat, eventually stopping what she was about to ask, what she had been wanting to ask for the longest time. "When you said you were in love with me--" She took a deep breath, attempting to calm her nerves down, her free hand wiping the cold sweat that had formed on her forehead. "Did you mean it?"

Without any hesitation, Emily nodded her head gently. "I did." She slurred again, not even bothering to ask why Naomi had suddenly become curious about it. She was just too tired to even think straight, in fact, it might have seemed to her that was that she was just dreaming, because if she were awake, she wouldn't be able to answer the question at all without thinking of defending herself, of sparing her feelings, that she'd probably lie with her answer just to avoid getting hurt.

Naomi smiled at the answer, her hold on Emily getting tighter as she pulled her closer to her. "Em." She hissed softly, calling out again when the red head didn't respond. "Emily." She eventually gave up after a few calls, realizing that Emily had already fallen into deep a deep slumber. She rested her cheek on top of Emily's head and took a long, deep breath. She can't remember the last time she felt this light, this carefree, can't remember the last time she let somebody in aside from Effy. She closed her eyes tight before whispering. "Emily, don't give up on me."


	33. TLC

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 33

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_"Because I'm a fucking model, that's why!" Naomi blurted out, yanking her chin away from the red head's grip. "And I've got bloody rehearsals on the forthcoming days and I can't show up there looking like this!" She scowled as she explained, her hands flailing in the air. "Besides, it's your sister's fault."_

**A/N:** Apologies for a pretty long delay! I was meant to be updating yesterday but I watched t4 on the beach instead and how I wished I didn't. I want my four hours back! LOL Anyways, hope you really enjoy this once. *crosses fingers* Please leave a comment/ review if you have the time! Thanks so much! (tried finishing this till 6am so please bear with me)

It still was a mystery how they managed to end up sleeping on the couch.

It was Naomi who stirred on her sleep first, moving her head from side to side to shake the somewhat numbing feeling that was starting to build along her nape. Her hand instantaneously soared upwards, gently squeezing and rubbing down the length of the back of her neck, wincing a little when she felt the prickling sensation rush in as the numbness started to lift up, her nerves slowly coming back to life. The sudden surging feeling caused her other hand to jerk, its loose hold tightening at once around something she never knew she was holding close to her. It felt so soft and warm under her fingers, too warm for it to be a pillow that she had to bat her eyes open to find out what exactly it was. She slightly lifted her head, which was lying on the armrest, and gasped at the sight of a pool of red hair lying on her chest, Emily's cheek pressed against the space where her heart was laid beneath. Her eyes squinted a little, blinking a few times more than usual, to make sure that she just wasn't seeing things, a small smile pulling up on her lips when she realized that Emily was indeed there. She shifted on the couch, lifting her upper body ever so gently, so as to not startle Emily, propping up against her elbow as she thought about waking her or leaving her as she was. It wasn't the most comfortable position to sleep in, her aching back was proof enough, but Emily seemed to be in such a deep slumber, looking so peaceful and so damn beautiful that she decided to drop it and just leave her laid like that. She shuffled a little more, her elbow now fully supporting her weight, and tried to stretch a tad bit to somehow relieve the mild soreness she was feeling along her back. As she tried to roll a little to her side, it dawned on her that something was wrapped around her waist, Emily's arms to be exact, her fingers pressed against the small space of her back. Emily's hold on her was so tight, as if she was clinging to Naomi for her dear life, that it made the blonde smile even wider, basking on the warm and fuzzy feeling settling on her stomach upon knowing. Her fingers began running mindlessly along Emily's hair, the bright strands brushing against her fingertips over and over. She inclined even closer, that the scent of Emily's hair started to fill her nose, its fragrance making her stomach twist and turn in such a weird way.

Nobody ever smelled this good to her before.

The scent was so inviting, so intoxicating, that she found herself edging forward already, planting a soft kiss on top of Emily's hair while she continuously stroked it with her nimble fingers. The contact though might have woken the red head up, as she suddenly began stirring from her sleep, much to Naomi's surprise, making the blonde revert quickly to her previous position, wincing a little when the back of her head hit against the armrest a little too strong. She half closed her eyes and pretended that she too was just waking up, Emily's warm smile greeting her when she batted them open. Her own blue orbs met Emily's sparkling ones and she smiled back instantaneously while staring at them in awe, pretty much thankful that the same glint she had seen before was still there, dancing in Emily's eyes, that very same glint that she knew was just for her. "Good morning." She murmured absentmindedly. She could see the red head's messy fringe hindering her chocolate brown eyes and she couldn't help but reach out and brush the fringe to the side, her pinky finger slowly tracing Emily's temple down to the corner of her jaw, like it was the most natural thing to do at that time.

It's probably the sweetest gesture she had ever done, and Emily's husky response of the same greeting just made her want to lean in even closer.

The surprise on the red head's face when she trailed her finger for the second time seemed to pull her out entirely from whatever daze or stupor she was into. She began to be well cognizant of how close she was to her, the proximity suddenly becoming a huge deal as she slowly got aware of it. She quickly jerked up to sit upright, disentangling her legs from Emily's in the process, the sudden motion causing the red head to roll over and end up falling on the floor, landing straight on her bum with a small squeal escaping from her lips.

"Naomi, what the fuck?" The red head cried out as she attempted to get back up to her feet, glaring at Naomi.

"I, uhm, I-I need to--" The blonde stuttered, her eyes falling everywhere except at Emily. She tipped her head up to somehow hide the flush that was starting to form on her cheeks. "I need to pee." She quickly stood up and scrambled on her steps, dashing upstairs as she left Emily flustered on the floor.

Naomi never appreciated mornings, just this once, though it didn't turn out exactly as how she wanted it to be.

***

"Just what are you doing?" Naomi murmured in a frustrated tone as she paced back and forth in her room, her hand running through her hair, pulling it from time to time as if it would knock some sense into her. She clearly had no idea about what had happened earlier, let alone, why it happened in the first place. It just occurred all of a sudden, just took place too fast, like she couldn't control herself whenever she's near Emily. "Fuck's sake." It was totally unexplainable, why she was doing things that she never actually thought of doing, as if they were done unconsciously, without her fully knowing it. Most of them were entirely involuntary, never crossing her mind even once. It was as if they all come out in nature, these things she do unexpectedly, that she would surprise even her own self.

"Naomi."

She jumped at the muffled sound of Emily's voice, nearly tripping on her steps. "What?" She managed to blurt out, catching herself just in time as her hand stretched out to lean against the side of the cabinet, stopping her from her impending fall.

"Breakfast is ready." The red head replied, knocking twice. "I'll see you downstairs yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah." Naomi answered, almost too quickly. "I'll be out in a bit." She resumed her pacing as soon as she heard Emily's footsteps getting fainter by the second, this time with her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to calm herself, scolding actually for overreacting a bit on such a small thing.

Really, what could hurt being that close to Emily?

"Except you do stupid things you stupid twat." She shrieked out of nowhere, answering the question that was meant to remain in her head loudly. She lifted her hand and buried her face on her palms, scrunching it altogether frustratingly as she shook her head. Things might be getting ridiculously out of her hands, first, the unexplainable jealousy against Freddie and now this. "Jesus! Calm down Naomi!" She cried out, taking deep heavy breaths along with it, somehow convincing herself that she's got everything under control and no need for making a big deal out of things, because really, it wasn't something to be freaked out about. Well, except for the fact that she kissed the top of Emily's hair almost lovingly, _almost_.

And never in her entire life had she done something akin to that. Not even to her Mum, or worse, to Effy.

"Nai-nai, the toasts are getting cold!" She heard Emily shout, probably from down the staircase landing, the red head using her once despised nickname to address her, that bloody nickname that did all sorts of stuff in her stomach whenever Emily said it.

"Right, I'll be down in a minute." She shouted back and faced herself in the mirror, her forefinger raising and pointing towards her reflection. "Get a fucking grip." She mouthed, scowling later on once she realized what she was doing. She didn't even know what she was fretting on about. It wasn't like she snogged Emily or anything, and clearly, she was far from jumping on her, for crying out loud.

Finally mustering enough composure, she decided to step out of the comforts of her own room and ran downstairs, slipping straightaway in her usual seat. She found Emily already seated with an impatient scowl in her face, fingers drumming on the table.

"About bloody time." The red head rolled her eyes, reaching for one of the toasts on the plate. "I'm so hungry."

"Why didn't you eat without me then?" Naomi retorted, grabbing a toast for herself as well.

"Do you really have to ask?" Emily answered back, throwing the blonde an incredulous look, watching her respond with a mere shrug and a smirk. "Oh and next time you wanna pee, could you at least tell me and not just throw me on the bloody floor?" She added sardonically, nipping a piece of toast afterwards.

"I'm sorry about that." Naomi replied apologetically, biting her bottom lip. "I kind of, you know, panicked."

"Why? Because you wanna pee that bad?"

"Yeah. That bad." The blonde nodded with a sneer. Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder who was more naïve between the two of them, not that she'd admit that at times she's pretty immature. Her eyes tore away from Emily, eventually falling on the vase full of lilies standing at the center of their dining table. "Is that from your garden or from last night?"

"From last night." Emily answered casually, her eyes glued on the toast she was spreading honey and marmite with. "They won't fit in the vase on my room. I can't think of anywhere else to put it, so I figured, why not in here." She grabbed another toast and topped it over, taking one big bite at once on her most favorite sandwich mishmash ever. "You don't like it?"

"Nah." Naomi shook her head gently. "I mean, I like it. I'm just not used to it, I guess."

"You better get used to things then." The red head replied cryptically, a smirk creeping up on her lips. "We've still got a month to go through."

"You make it sound like we're in bloody prison or something."

The red head snorted out loud, falling into a chuckle when she saw the blonde laughing a little as well. It's weird for Emily, really, that a somewhat new and transformed Naomi was sitting right in front of her, not the one she used to know. A new Naomi who seemed to be struggling to control her mood swings, trying to make some changes with herself with no particular reason, or at least that's what she thought. She couldn't really put a finger on it, on why Naomi decided to put some effort on changing just now, just when the contract was drawing into an end. She could've made the effort way before. But when Emily tried to put things together, adding one thing to the other, the confessions, the promises, the flowers, the kiss and this, it just kept on leading her into something she would choose not to believe, a conclusion she couldn't quite grasp because _it_ just seemed so surreal.

Though it's the only thing she'd ever want to be the reason for everything.

"I'd get that."

It broke Emily from her musings, Naomi's voice and the door bell rings suddenly filling her ears. She nodded at the blonde in answer, turning her attention back to her breakfast, her eyes falling and staring at everywhere just to keep her mind off thinking things. She could hear Naomi's faint steps growing weaker, just indicating that the blonde was closing in on the front door. She let out a deep sigh and took a sip of her coffee, waiting patiently for Naomi to come back before she would deal with her toast.

***

Naomi reached out and twisted the door handle, curiously pulling the door open as she wondered who could possibly visit at this early hour of the morning, her mind ruling out the possible persons, of course arriving at one and only one individual, that she thought she should have saved the trouble of thinking at all because she'd end up with the same person anyway.

Freddie.

It wasn't him though, and it actually caught her by surprise, that she was standing here in the doorway with two unfamiliar people in front of her, one of them looking almost exactly like the girl she was having breakfast with. _Almost_, because she could still tell the difference between the two, surprisingly, considering she had never seen Emily's twin sister before.

"Hey, I'm looking for Emily. Is she in?" She heard Katie (as far as Naomi could remember, that was her name) say, instantaneously noting the huge distinction between their voices, immediately preferring Emily's no matter how biased it may sound, and the lisp that Katie had.

"You're Katie right?" She replied instead, her eyes squinting a little, tilting her head a tad bit as she surveyed Katie more. "Emily's twin?" She asked, like it wasn't the most obvious thing.

"Yeah." The red head nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"I see." Naomi answered and pressed her lips together, her eyes now flickering between Katie and the man she was with. "And I suppose you're Cook." She cocked her head, recognizing his presence as she watched him merely grin in answer. "Are those for Emily?" She couldn't help but ask, eyeing the bouquet of roses Cook was holding.

"Yeah." He answered smugly, twirling the bunch around. "Pretty innit?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes, much to the two new comers' surprise. "You don't really know your sister, do you?" She turned to Katie, throwing her an incredulous and accusing look.

"Excuse me?" Katie retorted, tensing up a tad bit. "I don't think I heard you right?"

"Emily's allergic to roses." Naomi replied acerbically.

"But she likes flowers yeah?" It was Cook.

"Yes she does, but not roses." The blonde tore her gaze from Katie to look at Cook. "She's not that typical, you know." She replied, her teeth baring when she sneered. "Why am I not surprised?" She blurted out exasperatedly as she leaned her shoulder against the threshold, her face looking extremely uninterested all of a sudden.

"Can't you just let us come in?" Katie spat back, the words barely escaping through her gnashing teeth.

"What for?" She replied in a sardonic tone, her eyebrow quirking when she threw them a 'don't mess with me' look, before turning her back from Katie and Cook completely, slamming the door shut behind her. She was about to step back to the kitchen when the door bell rang again, Emily's head now popping out of the kitchen threshold.

"Who is it Naomi?" Emily curiously asked.

"No one special Em." She replied casually with a shrug, masking her strained and annoyed voice with an uninterested tone. "I'll deal with this, just stay there yeah?" She turned around again upon seeing the red head return to her seat, her lips dangerously pressed in a tight line as she opened the door for the second time, rolling her eyes at the expected sight. "What now?" She scowled.

"Just let us in alright?" Katie retorted, taking a tentative step forwards, drawing closer to Naomi. "I don't even know what your problem is."

"No." She goaded firmly, stepping forward as well so that she was towering over Katie. "I won't."

"She's my sister and--"

"Really?" Naomi scoffed, breaking Katie off. "Because as far as I know, you ditched her during your birthday." She paused in preparation for her next retort. "And oh yeah, you sold her house without her knowing it!" She spat out while sneering at Katie. "So much for a twin sister huh?"

"Look, will you just move out of the way?" The red head shrieked out, her lips quivering. "I just wanna see my sister."

"You just don't know how to take no for an answer, do you?" Naomi watched as Katie shook her head and twisted around, a victorious smile pulling up on her lips, thinking that the older twin was backing out and retreating.

That's what she thought.

Her smile lasted only for a few seconds before Katie spun around, her fist connecting with the corner of Naomi's lips. She stumbled a tad bit backwards from the contact, almost falling on the floor on her bum if she wasn't fast enough to steady herself up. She winced a little, feeling a slight sting on the offended part, tasting a certain rusty flavor in it as well. She lifted her hand and wiped the blood with the pad of her thumb, her eyes still trained to a fuming Katie, her gaze flickering between a grinning and smug looking Cook, and the older twin from time to time. She braced herself when she saw Katie preparing to charge at her again, her hands ready to defend whenever Katie would pounce on her since she can't really hit her because she knew that she was pregnant. She cringed once the red head let out a scream as she marched angrily towards her, only to be surprised later on when another red head jumped in front of her, as if shielding her from Katie's wrath.

"Katie, what the fuck are you doing?" Emily shouted, her hands spreading wide to keep Naomi behind her. "What's going on?"

The older twin stopped dead on her tracks as Cook launched herself towards her, his hands latched carefully around her waist, eventually precluding her from hurting Emily as well. "It's that bitch--" She angrily spat out, squirming her way out of Cook's hold.

"Who are you calling bitch?" Emily retorted, turning around to check the damage her sister had managed to inflict at Naomi. "Fuck's sake Katie! What did you do?" She cried out loud, seeing the cut that had formed on the corner of the blonde's lips as she cupped Naomi's cheek with one of her hands.

"And you're defending her?" Katie spat out in disbelief. "It's her fucking fault! She won't let me see you."

"But it's not enough to just hit her like that!"

"She was asking for it Ems!" The older twin tried to reason out. "She knew what was coming to her!"

"Jesus!" Emily exclaimed, wiping the little pool of blood forming again, with the pad of her thumb. "I can't believe you did this Katie!" She growled, throwing her twin a heated glare.

"Oh, come on! We all know she deserved it! Besides, it's not like she's gonna die with such a tiny cut."

"I think you should go home Katie." Emily answered in a serious tone.

"What?" The older twin blurted out disbelievingly. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Just go Katie." She paused, turning around to nod at Cook. "We'll talk some other time. Not now, please."

Cook got the message and whispered something to Katie's ear, making her turn around and leave the house completely, whatever it was. Emily watched them as they go, her attention reverting back to Naomi when she saw the front door shut and heard the gate close. "Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, wiping the blood gushing out from the wound once more.

"Yeah." Naomi answered with a half-hearted nod. "Stings a bit, but I'm good."

Emily blew out a weary breath and reached out for the blonde's hand, leading her towards the couch. She turned and went to her desk, grabbing the medicine kit in one of the drawers before running back to the couch and dropping herself next to the blonde. She slid a couple of fingers under Naomi's chin and slowly turned her head towards her, opening the medicine kit afterwards as she started to treat the wound gently.

"Your sister hits pretty hard." Naomi spoke after a few beats, wincing a little when the painful sting surged in. "What's with you Fitch twins? You two are bloody strong for your size."

"My dad used to own a gym." Emily replied, dabbing the cotton on the wound lightly to wipe off the blood. "We practically grew up in it."

"Explains why."

"I'm sorry about Katie." The red head answered apologetically. "She's got such a bad temper."

"Like I can do anything about it can't I?" Naomi retorted. "I mean, the damage has been done. My lip's been--Ow! Take it easy Em."

"Sorry."

"That hurt." The blonde scowled as she winced from the sudden sting, pulling her head away from Emily's hold though the red head caught her chin again.

"Stay still." Emily hissed, her hold getting tighter. "Thanks by the way."

"For what?"

"Well, you know." The red head let out a shrug. "For the concern."

"It's nothing." Naomi replied casually.

"Really. Thank you."

They both fell silent while Emily continued dabbing the cotton over the wound, until she was sure that it had stopped bleeding.

"I think you should kiss it." Naomi spoke after a few beats, surprising the red head entirely. "The wound I mean."

"What?" Emily exclaimed in disbelief. "Kiss it? Naomi, are you serious?"

"It's going to heal faster." The blonde replied in a matter of fact tone. "That's how TLC works."

"And what exactly is TLC?"

"Tender loving care." Naomi blurted out, looking at Emily skeptically. "Don't tell me you don't know about that?"

"How does it even heal a wound?" The red head's eyes squinted, throwing Naomi an unconvinced look.

"Jesus!" Naomi cursed under her breath, rolling her eyes. "It's like what nurses do. As well as Mums and Nans."

"But that just works for kids." Emily protested.

"It works for everybody Em."

"I don't get it."

"Don't get what?"

"Why I should kiss it."

Naomi lifted her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Because I want this bloody cut healed alright?"

"That's why I'm treating it yeah?" Emily retorted.

"But I told you, I need to heal it faster!"

"Christ Naomi!" The red head rolled her eyes. "It's gonna heal eventually. Give it a few days."

"It can't wait Emily."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm a fucking model, that's why!" Naomi blurted out, yanking her chin away from the red head's grip. "And I've got bloody rehearsals on the forthcoming days and I can't show up there looking like this!" She scowled as she explained, her hands flailing in the air. "Besides, it's your sister's fault."

"Alright, fine." Emily slammed the medicine kit on the coffee table, flicking the small piece of cotton she used inside it. She shifted on the couch, so that she was facing Naomi entirely, frowning at her a little, because, really, TLC? She watched as the blonde shuffled on her seat as well, so that they were sat face to face, their noses merely an inch away from each other. "Don't move yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah." Naomi answered impatiently. "Just get on with it and let's get this over with."

Emily took a deep breath and swallowed hard, pushing back her frantic beating heart that seemed to lodge on her throat. She slowly leaned in, her body tentatively rocking towards Naomi, her breath caught up in her throat when she felt the blonde's hot breath hitting her cold skin. She aimed for the corner of Naomi's lips and closed her eyes, waiting for her own pair to land on the right place. She meant it to be a quick kiss, just a hasty peck, but it turned out to be a lingering kiss instead, pressing her lips a little bit too long than she had originally planned. When she felt like she had enough, although she knew she'd never have enough, she slowly pulled away, but felt a hand against the back of her neck. She opened her eyes and she was met by Naomi's blue ones, the usually ocean blue now dark with something akin to deep want and desire.

And it was the only sign Emily ever needed.

She plunged in once again, meeting Naomi's lips halfway, as it would seem that the blonde leaned in towards her as well. She was no longer kissing the wound, she was kissing Naomi's lips instead, and the best part was, Naomi was kissing back.

They were kissing slowly, languidly, much like how they kissed during that first time, in the middle of the street, under the moonlight. And it had the same effect on both of them like it had before. The world stopping, everything around them freezing, not caring about anything at all.

Only the two of them mattered. Her and Naomi.

"Nai-nai." She managed to mutter in between her kisses. "Your cut."

"Fuck the wound Em." The blonde answered instantaneously, claiming Emily's lips once again, again and again. "Fuck the wound."

The red head smiled in the kiss, wondering if this was what Naomi had wanted all along. She should've just asked and saved the effort of coming up with ridiculous excuses and explanations.

If this was what Naomi meant by TLC, she'd gladly do it every fucking day of her life.


	34. Impasse

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 34

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_"__It was barely a whisper that Naomi almost failed to catch it, though she did, never been glad that she did. And it was enough to make her feel like she was going to burst with unexplainable glee, especially when she could see that certain glint dancing in Emily's eyes as she said the words. It made her feel oddly proud and happy, knowing well that she's the reason behind that sparkle, that she's the mere cause of it."_

**A/N:** Apologies for the long delay. I've been working on this update the whole week. I was experiencing writer's block and I couldn't get the words out. So it took me this long. I hope you guys like this though, believe me, I've worked hard for it. Comments and reviews will be greatly appreciated! Thanks for sticking up with me!

Naomi found her fingers loosely tangled with Emily's hair later on, her other hand circled around Emily's waist, pulling the red head much closer, if anymore possible with the way they were sitting close to each other already. Her grip on her tightened as her other hand broke free from the locks of red hair she'd managed to knot with, slowly sliding it down to Emily's waist as well, her fingers brushing along the whole length of Emily's back until they'd found and settled at the small space there, the tips sinking in teasingly, causing a low, raspy moan to escape from Emily's throat. It would have stopped Naomi by now, hearing that particular whimper, because she knew that they _could_ be leading into a dangerous territory, heading into something they both might regret later on, when they've snapped out of it, from whatever spell they've both been bounded into.

But it didn't.

Instead, it just made her want more. And when she felt Emily's arms snaking around her neck, she gave up thinking altogether, her sense of reasoning vanishing into thin air all of a sudden, and the only thing she could think of was the way Emily's lips moved with hers, how it perfectly fitted her own, exactly the perfect match. The intoxicating taste of Emily's lips, sweet strawberries, maple syrup and something uniquely Emily, were filling her senses, Emily's scent making her feel dizzy and heady as it swirled around endlessly inside her head. Her vision seemed to be spinning so badly, everything around her turning into one giant, messy blur of flubbed colors that she had to close her eyes, feeling like she'd swoon over at any given moment if she didn't, with the way her breath was hitching by the littlest second and her head spinning constantly.

The moment her lashes met, the fireworks frenzy began.

Each brush of Emily's lips against hers triggered one particular round of fireworks exploding behind her lids, the sparkling lights brightly unfolding, so bright that she had to flutter her eyes open for a few moments because she felt like she would be blinded by them if her eyes stayed shut. But she couldn't hold them open either for it would all be too much, seeing Emily and feeling her at the same time. It was such a wonder, how one person could make her crave for something she'd never ever thought of wanting before, something that had never crossed her mind, even for a single instance. Yet now, she couldn't get enough of it, couldn't get herself to stop because the feeling was so amazing, like she's on a fucking high.

And she's getting addicted to it, to the taste of Emily's lips.

"Nai--" A soft groan escaped from Naomi's throat when Emily abruptly pulled away, leaning in forward to capture the red head's lips again. She could feel Emily smiling in the kiss, probably laughing at her sudden neediness, but she couldn't be bothered at all. Not when there's this certain feeling of euphoria that Emily's kisses were bringing. She'd take the laughter all day, even the banters and the insinuations, if Emily ever threw a number of them. She'd take them wholeheartedly, because she needed this, to feel Emily's lips, she's yearned for this, ever since that first time.

More than any wine she'd ever tasted. More than any drug she'd ever taken.

And she wasn't going to deny it anymore, wasn't going to start contradicting herself nor arguing with her own mind. Just this once, she's going to let herself lose it, follow what she mostly desired.

Just this once, to hell with the consequences.

"Naomi." The blonde begrudgingly pulled back with a miffed groan, her face looking so peeved that Emily had to bite her lip to suppress her laughter. "Wait." Emily unwound her hands from Naomi's neck, letting them slide down to the blonde's shoulders as she brought her gaze down, feeling the sudden hotness spread across her cheeks while her whole face tainted bright pink.

"What?" Naomi hissed exasperatedly, rolling her eyes at Emily. "You didn't like it?" She anxiously asked after a few beats when the red head didn't answer, and continued to watch her, Emily's eyes still avoiding to meet her gaze. "Wasn't it good?"

Emily's head snapped up, throwing Naomi with a look that was torn between confusion, surprise and disbelief. "What? No." She shook her head exceedingly, her eyes growing wide with worry when she saw the blonde's face fall, her lips pursing into one side.

"You didn't?" The blonde felt herself tensing a bit, her arms turning stiff.

"No, Naomi." Emily instantaneously withdrew her hands and placed them on top of the blonde's as she felt them starting to loosen around her waist, stopping Naomi from completely pulling away. "That's not what I meant."

"What then?"

A sheepish smile formed in Emily's lips as her face grew even redder. She lowered her head a little to hide the worsening blush, watching Naomi from under her lids. "It's just that--" She paused as she swallowed hard, taking full deep breaths to calm her heart that was thumping so very loud ever since their lips first met that morning.

"Just what?"

"C-could you give me a minute to catch my breath?" The red head blurted out hastily, much quicker than usual, the words barely sounded by her shy tone. "It's not that easy you know." She added with a small quiver of her shoulders, the quirking of Naomi's eyebrows, which she presumed as a sign of confusion, encouraging her to go on. "I mean, it's not easy to breathe. Knowing that you're actually sitting next to me and, and--"

"And?" Naomi waited half expectantly, her lips pressed together firmly to repress the huge, smug grin threatening to break out of her face, fairly having an idea of what Emily was about to say.

"Kissing me." It was barely a whisper that Naomi almost failed to catch it, though she did, never been glad that she did. And it was enough to make her feel like she was going to burst with unexplainable glee, especially when she could see that certain glint dancing in Emily's eyes as she said the words. It made her feel oddly proud and happy, knowing well that she's the reason behind that sparkle, that she's the mere cause of it.

"Yeah, well." Naomi replied with a proud shrug, the smug grin finally breaking out. "I kind of have that effect on people."

"Right." Emily snorted out laughter. "Figures why Katie punched you." She continued with a smirk playing in her lips. "Coz you have that effect."

"She's the only exception yeah?" The blonde protested. "She's got no taste."

"What makes you think you're of taste?" Emily couldn't help but counter back.

"I'm Naomi Campbell. Pretty much explains everything."

"It doesn't, really."

Naomi threw the red head a disapproving look and rolled her eyes. "You know what."

"What?"

"You're stalling." The blonde replied in a matter of fact tone. "Your one minute break's way over."

"You're always so impatient." Emily retorted with a feigned scowl crumpling her forehead.

"Well, I was born that way." Naomi answered casually. "I'm an only child, not to mention, famous. I don't wait." She added, her shoulders hunching smugly for effect. "And it's not impatience. I just happen to know how to value time."

"It's the same thing." The red head muttered with a roll of her eyes. "Being im--"

"It's not." Naomi interjected quickly, breaking Emily off. "Besides, I need my cut to heal as soon as possible. We need to work on it."

A loud chuckle, merely out of amusement and disbelief, escaped from Emily's lips, surprising the blonde entirely.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Do you honestly think I believe in that TLC thing of yours?" She asked in between her laughter, throwing Naomi an incredulous look.

"Of course." The blonde answered in vindication. "Why else would I want you to kiss me?"

"Admit it Naomi." Emily goaded, her lips curling up into a smug smirk. "You're just making an excuse so you could kiss me."

"Hah!" Naomi blurted out loudly, falling into a snigger afterwards. "You're so up yourself, aren't you, Em?"

"You didn't deny it though." The red head teased, playfully sticking her tongue out at the other girl.

"Why would I deny something which isn't even true? It's a waste of time." Naomi watched as Emily responded with a soft chuckle and a shake of the head, her stomach doing countless flips and somersaults when she saw Emily tip her head up while giggling, the quivering of Emily's lips releasing a thousand fluttering butterflies inside her. It felt almost nauseating, the way her heart was beating wildly against her chest as she continued to watch Emily giggle in front of her, so fast that she could feel it clambering upwards to lodge itself in her throat. She swallowed hard to push it back as she was finding it hard to breathe, feeling the air get trapped on both her lungs when she felt her breath hitch, holding it in completely once her eyes met Emily's. Her brown orbs were sparkling so bright that Naomi could see her own reflection in them, almost as clear as a real mirror could be. It was such an exquisite sight that Naomi couldn't help the incognizant smile shaping in her lips, the odd feeling of exploding with excessive unexplainable glee lingering within her.

That look she was seeing in Emily, the way her eyes were lighting up, it instigated something inside her that made her want to voice out the idea of _them_ actually trying. It made her want to just drop the act and stop pretending, and make things work instead, because she knew, deep down, _they_ could work. It might be in some twisted or odd sort of way, but the important fact was that they were capable of actually doing it, being together for real.

It almost made her spit her thoughts out, witnessing Emily smiling at her, nearly beaming.

Almost.

But her words were left bundled together in her mouth, for there were things that weren't actually that easy to say, no matter how much you wanted them to.

She brought her gaze down to Emily's lips instead, and took another small, subtle swallow upon seeing it quiver a tad bit, later on finding herself edging forward so quickly to re-capture Emily's lips and lock it with hers. It caught the red head off guard, Naomi's hasty movement, that it took her a few seconds before she could kiss back, her hands crawling upwards until they've managed to meet behind Naomi's neck, her fingers entwining themselves against the locks of Naomi's hair, the tips dragged ever so slowly that Naomi couldn't stop the guttural moan escaping from her throat. Emily answered by kissing back deeper, smiling in between kisses with her eyes shut tight, Naomi's hot breath trickling her skin, causing goose bumps to rise all over her.

They were kissing in the slowest way they could, breaking apart momentarily for air, but leaning in once more when they've managed to catch a lungful, enough for them to spend it again.

Emily was well aware of Naomi's arms coiling tighter around her waist, and a small squeal broke forth her throat when she felt that she was being heaved up from the couch while Naomi's kisses muffled the noise entirely as they both shuffled on the seat. She found herself sitting on Naomi's lap, with the blonde's hands now traveling up and down the whole length of her back, Naomi's fingertips grazing her shirt covered skin as she held her tighter. She gasped loudly when she felt the nimble fingers brush accidentally against the slightly bared skin along her waist, the sharp sound causing Naomi to slow down into a complete stop and pull away, much to her regret.

"Sorry." She heard Naomi whisper, letting out a deep sigh which Emily didn't know if it was one of pure disappointment, or regret because, maybe, they had taken things a bit too far. She caught her bottom lip in between her teeth and clambered down from Naomi's lap, settling back to the couch, her head hanging low as she refused to meet Naomi's eyes once more, because, really, how could she? After all that had happened, she's pretty sure she won't be able to look at Naomi without blushing real bad.

"I-I think that got a little out of--" The red head stammered, her eyes focused on her fidgeting fingers as she tried her hardest to push the words out, breaking off when she felt Naomi's side of the couch shift weight.

"Em."

She slowly lifted her head and looked at Naomi expectantly. "Yeah?"

"D-Do you think--" The blonde paused as she cleared her throat, completely unaware that she was edging closer. "I mean--" She wasn't able to finish what she was about to say for she was already drawn to Emily's lips, the words left unsaid as her lips met the red head's in a chaste but lingering kiss.

"Oh." It came out so low, almost like a tiny squeak, her bottom lip caught once again between her teeth when Naomi finally pulled back. Emily cleared her throat, feeling her heart lodge itself in the middle with its frantic loud beating, her surprised eyes trained on Naomi's own.

It was the blonde who averted her gaze first, sitting in awful silence with her eyes glued on the floor. Now that her head was no longer hazy, her thoughts no longer spinning in a daze, it dawned on her, the extent of what had just happened between them. It clearly wasn't a mistake, because they both wanted it, too invested in it to be considered as a mere slip. But she didn't know what to call it either. Chancing a glance to Emily, she let out a deep breath as she brought her gaze back to the floor, her mind working out on the things she could possibly do, the options she could take, the reasons she could voice out, everything she could think of just to get her out of the situation.

The problem was, it's one circumstance she knew she'd gladly get into again and again.

She lifted her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose, holding it for a moment as she tried to re-arrange her confused thoughts. Suddenly it seemed that her mind was being pulled at a hundred different directions all at once, her emotions mixing with her head, clouding her decisions and better judgment of things.

Everything was just so confusing and with her feelings getting involved, it just made things ten times more complicated.

"Naomi--" She heard Emily call and she slowly lifted her head, the confusion and the fear she could read in Emily's eyes making her heart clench tight. She could see how frightened Emily was, scared of something she had no idea about.

And it made her feel a certain strong urge of kissing that fear away.

"Yes?" She softly murmured in response, seeing the hesitation dancing in Emily's brown orbs.

"Nothing." Emily gently shook her head and forced a smile. She wanted to ask, wanted to know what the kisses meant because she can't live by just assuming. She wanted to at least make sure of something, to make things clear somehow. But she didn't know how to actually ask, without sounding anywhere near demanding or stupid.

And she was afraid to hear it from Naomi's lips, if all of these meant nothing.

"Look Em--" The blonde spoke after a few beats, blowing out an weary breath. "I, what happened, we--"

"We can _not_ talk about it, if you don't want to." Emily interjected, breaking Naomi off. "If you're not comfortable with it." She let out a sheepish smile, meaning it to be a comforting one though she was not sure if it appeared as what she had intended it to be like. "I mean, it's just kissing."

Naomi's eyes grew wide upon hearing Emily's words, feeling a sudden twinge rush through her chest. "Is it--" She swallowed as her breath began to hitch. "Just kissing to you?"

It took quite a while before Emily could answer, her eyes watching Naomi's expression be torn between anxious and pained. She didn't know if she should go with the truth, for it might cost her, her heart again. Though seeing a glint of hurt flash through Naomi's expectant eyes, made her decide to just push through with it. "No." She bit her lip as she tore her gaze away from the blonde, throwing her shy glimpses instead. "It's more than that for me." She added, her voice almost inaudible, the last words ending into a whisper.

"Good then."

She whipped her head back towards Naomi at breakneck speed, the blonde's words surprising her entirely. "G-Good?" She stuttered, her forehead growing into a furrow. "What do you mean good?" She watched as Naomi's lips curled up into a contented smirk, her eyes growing wide when Naomi plunged in again, capturing her lips, her question left unanswered.

Though Naomi's kiss seemed to be the answer she was actually looking for. And it was enough, for now.

***

"Katie!"

The older twin stopped on her tracks and twisted around, smiling as she saw a happily waving JJ running towards her. "Hey JJ!" She greeted back with a nod as she waited for him to reach her place.

"Hey Katie. How are you?" JJ cheerfully asked in between his panting breaths. "I haven't seen you for a quite a while."

"I'm okay." The red head answered. "Just a bit hormonal."

"Oh, you're pregnant?"

Katie nodded animatedly, her lips pulling up into a huge grin.

"I think a proper congratulation is in order then." JJ beamed at her as he extended his hand out for Katie to shake.

"Thanks."

"So what are you doing here?" He asked later on, attempting to make some small talk as they trailed down the path towards Emily's house. He wasn't really particularly close to Katie, even if he was best friends with her twin. "I mean, Emily said you moved out."

"I came here to apologize." Katie truthfully answered as she clasped her hands together while they continued to walk.

"To who? To Emily?"

She nodded in answer. "And to Naomi too."

"Oh, I see." JJ replied, his hand soaring up as he placed it at the back of his neck. "Did you fight with her or something?"

"Something like that." Katie shrugged. "I kind of punched her too."

It took JJ seconds before he could respond, completely surprised by Katie's sudden revelation. "Right." Arriving at the house, he pushed the metal gate open and gestured his hand towards the older twin, telling her to step in first before following. "Katie." He softly called out.

Katie halted and peered over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Before we ring the door bell, I wanna ask you something."

"Go on." The red head nodded, encouraging JJ to continue.

"D-Did you happen to know about the contract?" He asked hesitatingly, his eyes squinting a little as he said the words.

"Contract?" Katie repeated, her brow arching up in wonder of what JJ was even babbling about. "What contract?"

JJ heaved a deep sigh before lifting his hand up to show the brown envelope he was holding. Funny, Katie didn't see it earlier. "This is Emily's." He started and turned the envelope over, pulling out a piece of paper and placing it on top. "She left it when she went to my house a week ago." He paused as he watched Katie turn around and make her way towards him. "I accidentally knocked this out of the cabinet and the papers fell on the floor. When I picked them up to arrange them, I saw this." He lifted the paper and slipped it carefully between his fingers to show it to the red head.

Katie's eyes moved to and fro while she read what was scribbled on the thin sheet out loud, her mouth hanging agape as soon as she finished. "I-I can't believe this." She released the paper from her hand, dropping it as if it was burning under her touch. "H-how could something like this happen?" She gasped sharply, looking at JJ like he knew the answer, with utter disbelief evident in her eyes.

"Bugger." JJ blurted out as it dawned on him that Katie didn't know anything about it, that the possibility of nobody knowing about the contract still existed, and he might have just actually ruined it. He swallowed hard, scrambling on his feet at once when he saw Katie marching down the front door, her fingers instantaneously reaching for the door bell, pressing it a number of times consecutively that it sounded pretty much annoying to the ears. He stood beside her nervously, fumbling with the paper as he tried to slip it inside the envelope again, securing it under his arms once he'd successfully placed it back. He shut his eyes tight and let his free hand run through his hair, knotting his fingers against the brown curls, pulling them from time to time as he felt the guilt rush through him. He may have actually caused a big problem this time. He could hear the approaching footsteps nearing to the door and he felt himself fidget beside a still shocked Katie, surreptitiously praying that it's Emily who gets to open for them, for he didn't know if he could take Naomi's wrath once it began.

JJ and Katie were too flustered to notice one figure hovering by the gate, hearing the whole conversation loud and clear as ever.


	35. Euphoria

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 35

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **"_She was broken from her musings by the creaking sound of the front door being opened, never been that glad to be actually pulled out from them, because her thoughts were starting to spin around such a dangerous and likely inappropriate direction, her mind delving into scenes and images she shouldn't really be thinking about, let alone, imagining._"

**A/N:** Next chap. I hope you all like it! *crosses fingers*

Naomi had never been keen on having unexpected visitors hovering around, and the sudden incessant ringing of the door bell just made her hate the idea more.

A low, miffed groan, more likely a gnarl, resonated from deep within Naomi's throat as she felt Emily slowly pull back, scowling altogether when the red head disentangled her entwined hands from being encircled around her neck, sliding it down to her shoulders to somehow stop her attempt of leaning in and re-capturing Emily's lips for another kiss. She reluctantly scooted a fair distance away from the red head, not too far and not too near either, merely putting enough space between them so as to reign some control over herself, because, Jesus, she seemed to be losing it if she was so near to Emily. Though she let her hands remain wound around Emily's waist, so there would still be some contact present, because she just couldn't stand it, from completely leaning away.

God knows why, but she just couldn't.

"Nai-Nai, somebody's at the door." The red head barely whispered, her eyes flickering between the front door and Naomi's face. "I'll get it." She added with a light chuckle when the blonde didn't answer, nor seemed to even bother that there was someone waiting by the front door. She found it rather amusing, the peeved expression on Naomi's face that is, the way her nose was scrunching up as she continued to scowl, like she's actually ready to pounce once somebody had emerged from the door.

"Wait." She was startled by Naomi's sudden protest, a small squeal escaping from her as she felt herself being pulled back down to the couch while she was nearly up to her feet.

"What?" She asked in confusion, throwing the blonde a quizzical look.

"You've got--" Naomi motioned with her hands as she pointed at Emily's smudge-filled lips. "Lipstick." She softly mumbled, beating the red head from wiping the smear with the pad of her thumb, gently stroking the skin until the stain had disappeared entirely. "There." She smiled in satisfaction, completely unaware of the hitched breaths Emily was heaving, as she was too busy catching her own, for they were leaning that close again, so close that Naomi could feel her lips tingling just by staring at Emily's already swollen ones.

A mere brush passing across the length of ruby red lips and Naomi felt herself losing it altogether.

She quickly dipped her head for the umpteenth time that morning, stopping midway in the process upon hearing the door bell ring again, the echoes filling the whole house. "Jesus Christ." She hissed sharply and shut her eyes in an annoyed manner as she pressed her lips together, somehow contemplating on the idea of having the door bell removed first thing in the coming afternoon.

"I-I better get that."

She batted her eyes open and answered Emily with an exasperated sigh and a half-hearted nod as she shuffled on the couch to be properly seated, with her back leaning against the couch rest, because really, like she had any other choice. With another resigned sigh, she darted her tongue out and licked her still tingling lips, remembering to wipe her own smudged lipstick with some tissue paper she had pulled out of the box standing on one of the side tables. She smacked her lips a tad bit noisily, a stupid grin shaping up on it afterwards, the huge smile growing ear to ear as she leaned her head at the rest as well. Heaving a deep contented breath, she chuffed out loud and puffed her cheeks while still smiling, savoring the euphoric feeling overwhelming her, pretty much brought by Emily's kisses. She knew she hadn't felt this good for the longest time, hadn't felt this lively where her blood was pulsating wildly in her veins. Every inch of her was buzzing and humming even if she was no longer under Emily's scorching touch, the feel of Emily's skin leaving a smoldering trail along hers. And it was just a mere touch, almost barely there, but it left her all burning inside, like her body was thrown into a fit of invisible flames, slowly consuming her entirely.

The tiniest of all touches, and it already sent her into an unexplainable frenzy. What if, what if--

She was broken from her musings by the creaking sound of the front door being opened, never been that glad to be actually pulled out from them, because her thoughts were starting to spin around such a dangerous and likely inappropriate direction, her mind delving into scenes and images she shouldn't really be thinking about, let alone, imagining.

Jesus, she felt like a fucking perv.

She shook her head in such a drastic manner that it had her feeling dizzy for a few beats, her eyes instantaneously flicking towards where Emily was standing once she'd finally regained her vision back, her forehead turning into a deep furrow quickly when the thick wooden door hindered her from seeing Emily's face. She craned her neck, lifting her upper body up from the comfortable position she was previously in, wondering what was taking Emily so long. As she was about to call out for her to ask, Katie's voice reverberated from the outside, sending Naomi up to her feet in no more than a second and hastily rushing to the younger twin's side without even having a second thought about it.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing Emily?"

"What the hell Katie?" Emily spat back quizzically, eyeing the older twin with a confused look. "What's your problem now?"

"Ladies, I think we need to calm down." JJ butted in, placing a hand on top of Katie's shoulders as he tried to somehow restrain and keep hold of her. "Katie, we could talk about this inside."

"Talk about what?" It was Naomi, stepping in front of Emily, half shielding the younger twin from Katie's dagger-like glares.

JJ fumbled with the envelope he was holding, producing a thin sheet of paper from the inside and raising it shamefacedly, because it was primarily his fault that Katie had found out about the contract and got involved. He jumped nervously when Naomi grabbed the paper from him, his eyes trained on the side as he couldn't bear to look at the shocked expressions he knew would appear on Emily and Naomi's faces.

"Where did you get this JJ?" Naomi's thundering voice made JJ flinch tremendously that he failed to come up with a coherent answer at all, his mouth spilling out gibberish words and stuttering sounds. "I said where did you get this?" She repeated, this time more forcefully, sending JJ to cower with fear.

"So it's true then?" Katie interrupted harshly, the look on her face demanding for a straight answer.

Naomi chanced a glance to a still shocked and disbelieving Emily, deciding to speak for both of them as it would seem that Emily had no capability of doing so at that particular moment. "Get inside Katie." She replied in such a serious tone that it startled the older twin a little bit, her face faltering with surprise for a few seconds before the cattish expression was back up.

"Just answer me Naomi." Katie retorted as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Get inside." It was more of a command rather than a plea, and was said in such an imposing tone that Katie and JJ had no choice but to follow. She led them to the couch, nudging Emily softly in the process because she seemed to be rooted to where she was standing. With a roll of her eyes, she grabbed her by the elbow and motioned for her to walk when she didn't even budge. Emily could be so out of herself sometimes, with utter worry or God knows what, it was getting ridiculous.

"I can't believe this."Katie started once again as she settled on her seat, her hands soaring up and flailing in the air, which Naomi thought was simply for dramatic effect and overacting, hence earning a roll of the eyes. "How? How did that even happen? I can't believe you Emily. How can you do such a stupid thing?" She continued to blabber about that Naomi suddenly had this sudden urge to cover her ears just to block everything Katie was saying. "Are you that desperate?"

Something inside the younger twin snapped, her head whipping towards Katie's direction so quickly that it was a surprise it didn't break. A fierce scowl etched into her forehead, her eyes turning into a squint as she eyed Katie with an incredulous look. "What the fuck Katie?" She spat back harshly. "You can't call me things like that. For fuck's sake, you sold my fucking house without me knowing it!"

The words hit Katie like a blow to the gut, stopping her completely, and Naomi couldn't help but somehow be proud of Emily.

"You and your boyfriend sent me to Paris and made a complete fool out of me so don't you dare ask me how I could do this." The younger twin continued, already at the edge of her seat, like she was completely prepared of launching herself if ever Katie decided to bring the fight into another level. "Don't fucking ask me why Katie. I had to do everything I could think of just so I could have this house back."

Katie remained in silence for a few beats, as well as the rest of them, the extreme quietness just further thickening the tension lingering in the air ever since she and JJ had arrived. They were all holding their breaths in carefully, though as if one unanticipated exhale could spark the next World War.

"I-I think we can discuss this calmly, without the need of shouting at each other." JJ spoke hesitatingly, feeling the need to break the most awkward silence he had ever been into.

Katie knew she had overreacted but couldn't bring herself to admit it out loud, let alone apologize for it, for being so stupid and just so used to bossing Emily around. She was never good at apologizing, her words usually turning out as sarcastic rather than sincere. But Emily's words just hit her so hard that she couldn't help but feel very much guilty because she was so damn right about it, every word hurting like a physical punch thrown straight to her face. "Look Ems, I'm sorry alright." She screwed her eyes shut after murmuring "Shit." under her breath, her apology sounding like what she had been exactly expecting it, nowhere near sincere even though it probably was the most heartfelt sorry she had ever spoken. "I mean, I didn't know how to react. I didn't know what I should think of it. I never expected you to do things like this, to step into things like this." She slowly lifted her head and threw a glance towards the younger twin, exhaling wearily when she saw that Emily wasn't even looking. "I was just surprised because, you know, you were always the smarter one, the most rational one."

"And she's hormonal." JJ tried to back-up but was shushed by Naomi that he had to return his attention back on his fidgeting fingers.

"You left me no choice Katie." Emily answered so bitterly that it made the older twin feel guiltier if anymore possible.

"I know." Katie admitted with a slight bob of the head. "I know. I've done the worst thing a sister could do to her twin."

"Yes." Emily answered softly. "You did."

"And I'm such a bitch."

"Too right." Naomi couldn't help but answer, her fingers immediately running along the cut made by Katie's fist, though she somehow considered _thanking_ it.

Katie rolled her eyes and threw an annoyed look towards the blonde's direction, though seeing the wound she had managed to mark made her tear her gaze away from Naomi guiltily. "I really owe you two a big apology." She mumbled ever so shyly, the words barely even making a sound.

Naomi turned to look at Emily, and seeing it from her eyes that she wasn't ready to forgive Katie yet, that she needed some more time, she decided to speak for her instead. "Katie, about the punching thing, just forget about it yeah?"

"But I--"

"I know you didn't mean it." The blonde broke off. "So it's forgiven."She paused, shuffling to sit a bit closer to Emily, their knees almost brushing. "But I think Emily needs--" A hand on her knee stopped her from speaking, and she could feel the hairs at the back of her neck stand all at once. She turned to look at Emily and a single nod coming from the red head somehow assured her that Emily could handle this herself.

"Katie." The younger twin started. "I know you're really sorry. But I need some time yeah?"

Katie answered with a brief nod. "But I'm really sorry."

"I know. I know you are."

They fall again in silence, with deep sighs and deep breaths being the only sounds audible, and it was JJ who broke it again. "So about the contract--"

"What about it?"Naomi could feel herself tensing up a bit and it was that gentle squeeze on her knee which made her lighten up instantaneously, her eyes focusing on Emily's hand that was still comfortably settled on top of her knee, and it was raising goose bumps all over her for the second time.

"It's--"

"What exactly would happen?" Katie interjected, cutting JJ off. "How will the terms work?"

"It's something that's just between me and Emily, Katie." Naomi answered ever so politely that she actually surprised everybody, even herself. Another squeeze on her knee and she was at a loss for words in an instant. She had to pause for a few seconds and gather her thoughts quickly, hoping that nobody noticed her sudden disruption. "I really can't give details about it." She actually meant to explain about in little details, but Emily's hand was just so distracting that she couldn't think of anything else aside from it, and of course, kissing Emily again.

"Are you going to remain true to your word?" Katie voiced out. "I mean, you really are going to give the house back?"

Naomi snorted out a snigger. "Of course. There's a written contract. I can't _not _abide by it."

The older twin heaved a sigh, more of relief. "I see."

"One thing though." The blonde moved her gaze from Katie towards JJ and back. "I need you two to keep schtum about it." She dragged her eyes back to JJ, stared at him with a serious glare, hoping that he'd get the message that she meant it, about the contract being a secret. "Nobody else can find out about the contract." She turned quickly to Katie. "Not even Cook."

"Especially him."Emily added acerbically, her words full of weight.

"If this gets out, it's the two of you who'd be responsible for it." The blonde warned fiercely. "I think you might have a faint idea of what I could do." She smirked smugly, though she meant every word.

JJ nodded nervously in answer whilst Katie remained perfectly still in her seat, worried about how she could actually keep something from Cook without slipping one bit. And if she did successfully keep it, the next question would be was, how long.

"I need the both of you to swear to us." Naomi watched as JJ lifted his right hand instantly, holding it in an oath taking position, and she couldn't help the smile that broke free from her lips at how he easily persuaded he could be. She knew JJ blabbed a lot, but she's trusting him more than she's actually trusting Katie.

"Katie." She heard Emily call out, training her eyes away from JJ and back to the older twin.

"What? Do I have to do what he does?" Katie retorted, biting her bottom lip afterwards upon realizing the sarcasm in her words.

"No Katie." Naomi answered with a roll of her eyes. "I just need you to look yeah? Is it that hard to do?"

"Sorry." The older twin shifted on her seat and uncrossed her legs so that she was sat facing Emily and Naomi completely.

"Just promise us that you two are keeping your lips sealed." The blonde continued, her eyes flickering between JJ and Katie.

"Yup." JJ answered with an animated nod of the head, perhaps too exceedingly because he could see Emily biting her lip to stifle a chuckle.

"I promise." Katie answered faintly.

"You don't seem so sure about it Katie." Naomi blurted out. "Having problems keeping your promise?"

"No, no." The older twin shook her head as she let out a nervous laugh. "Of course not."

"I swear Katie, if this gets out I'm--Jesus." The blonde blew out an exasperated breath and dropped her weight on the couch rest, her hand pinching the bridge of her nose hard. "I just need you to be sure about this yeah? Because it's gonna stir a massive talk and it's going to be nasty."

"God, it's not like I'm going to tell it to everybody I come across with." Katie couldn't help but snap back, because, really, the pressure Naomi was putting wasn't helping one bit. "It's JJ you should be worried about, not me."

"It's not you I'm actually worried about." Naomi answered in defense, brushing the older twin's remark off, because, in truth, it was no surprise. "It's you slipping up and accidentally telling Cook. And he'll go tell the whole world."

"Why do you hate him so much?"

"I don't hate him." The blonde clarified. "I just don't trust him."

"Cut him some slack Naomi. He's not a bastard." Katie retorted. "He's still got a heart."

"Right." Naomi snorted. "Selling your sister's house without her knowledge was a very noble act."

Katie was about to give another harsh retort when Emily broke the two of them off, giving another tight squeeze to Naomi's knee and throwing Katie an apprehensive look. "Nai-Nai." She softly mumbled to catch the blonde's attention. "Don't. Please?"

Naomi answered with a nod, indicating that she had understood. "Look, Katie." She shifted on her seat and leaned forwards, her hand unconsciously dropping on top of Emily's, covering it entirely. "I'm sorry. I went a little bit off."

"Yeah." The older twin answered. "I'm sorry too."

"I'm just worried alright?" Naomi continued. "It's really going to be nasty and I don't want that to happen."

"Who does?"

Naomi heaved a deep sigh and filled her cheeks, the air blowing out noisily as she puffed it all out. "I'm going to give you and Cook jobs. Just, just make sure that this doesn't get out."

Katie's eyes widened at Naomi's words. "Are you serious?"

"I am."

The older twin stayed quiet for a bit, the guilt within her growing. "Naomi, you don't have to."

"It'll give me some peace of mind. At least I'll know where you two are and the people you're mingling with."

"Naomi--"

"Think about it Katie." The blonde answered in such a dismissing tone that Katie had ceased to voice out the reply forming in her mouth.

"You're not going to have a problem with me Emily." JJ interjected with a comforting smile, making his almost forgotten presence known.

"Thank you JJ." Emily answered with a faint smile in return.

The silence enveloped around them again, though this time, not even JJ knew how to break it.

***

"Em." Naomi called out at dinner later on that day, hours after Katie and JJ had left.

"Yeah?" The red head tore her eyes away from her meal and slowly lifted her head to face Naomi, looking at her expectantly.

"I was just thinking." The blonde paused as she averted her gaze, watching Emily from under her lids. "Maybe we should make another contract."

"What?" Emily blurted out in confusion as she placed her fork down. "Make another one?"

"Yeah." Naomi bobbed her head animatedly. "What we have now isn't really clear, you know." She added. "We haven't really set well thought rules."

"But I don't like rules." The red head protested.

"It's not really rules, merely guidelines." A shrug rolled out of Naomi's shoulders. "Just so, you know, everything's clear."

"But--"

"Like for instance, the part where we void the contract when somebody finds out about it, Katie and JJ found it by themselves and it's not your fault right?"

Emily felt herself tensing up a little bit. "Yes, that's true."

"So this time maybe we could be clear about what we want and what our obligations should be." Naomi supplied convincingly, a small smile that she tried to hide pulling up in her lips when she saw Emily be caught in deep thought. "So what do you say Em?"

The red head pursed her lips to the side before nodding in agreement. "I guess you're right."

Naomi had to stifle the huge grin that was threatening to break loose from her lips, clearing her throat first before she replied. "We'll make a new one then. A more detailed one."

"Okay." Emily answered with a nod before picking up her fork and returning her attention back to her meal. "How are we gonna do it then?" She curiously asked after a few beats. "I mean, the new contract?"

"Good question." The blonde replied while scratching her chin with her free hand as she thought about what exactly they would do. "How about, we write everything that we want to happen, rules to be followed and stuff like those?" She added with a light shrug. "And then we discuss it over and find out if we both agree to those rules."

"That would work."

"Of course it would. It's my idea." Naomi cried out, her lips curling up into a smug smirk.

"Right." Emily rolled her eyes.

"Oi." The blonde tried to counter. "Why? Can you think of something else more brilliant than that?"

"Christ. I'm not even complaining."

***

Several pouts and a couple of arguments later, they found themselves back on the living room, Naomi sprawled all over the couch with a pen caught in between her lips and a couple of papers in hand, Emily seated by the desk in front of her computer, the ticking of the keyboard keys being the only sound audible in the whole room, aside from the occasional low grumbles and sighs, mostly coming from the blonde. She actually had no idea what to write, because Naomi herself rarely followed rules, let alone set them.

There was only one thing she wanted, out of all this blabber she had created about making a new contract, something she knew Emily would never agree with but she had no plans of _it_ not being followed.

For the umpteenth time that night she had crossed out the scribbled sentences and crumpled the paper out of frustration, throwing it down to the carpeted floor along with the other discarded papers she had managed to throw earlier. She had tried everything she could to put what she wanted in a nice, clear sentence, but had always ended up crossing it out anyways. It was starting to get into her, really, because Emily seemed to be typing non-stop while she was left stuck at one fucking sentence she couldn't even write nicely about. She tried peeking at the red head's work but her reflection on the screen always gave her away that she had to give up completely, to stop Emily from throwing her disapproving looks.

It may have worked, but she still was as blank as hell.

With one last paper left in her hand, she jotted down what she exactly needed to happen, never mind what Emily would probably say, because this was what she wanted.

And what Naomi Campbell wants, Naomi Campbell gets.

She heard the printer go off just as she finished scribbling down the last letter and the period, an impish grin playing in her lips while she heaved herself up from the couch to sit properly. "Em, you done?"

"In a few." The red head answered without looking back as she was busy fumbling with the papers being spooled out of the printer. Her fingers continuously drummed on top of her desk as she patiently waited for the printing to finish, quickly spinning around and rushing to the couch once the last bit was printed. "Alright, I'm done."

"Read your side first." Naomi instructed, hiding her piece of paper away from Emily's prying eyes. "You'll find out about mine later so stop looking."

"I wasn't looking yeah?" The red head countered. "Here." She handed a pile of papers and watched as Naomi's forehead creased into an obviously annoyed crumple.

"Hey! Why so long?" Naomi blurted out as she flipped the pages in her hands. "There are like, ten bloody pages in here!"

"We have to be precise." Emily answered casually, producing her own copy in front of her. "I'll start." She held the paper and began to read. "First, in going out, we are to inform one another who are we going with and where we are going."

"Does that mean you'll tell me if you're going to go out with Freddie?" The blonde couldn't help but blurt out, cringing a tad bit upon realizing how utterly stupid she sounded. "Don't think about anything, I was just asking." She deliberately added, seeing the amused and smug smirk curling up in Emily's lips.

"You sound a bit too excited for somebody who's just asking."

"Jesus." Naomi mumbled. "Just go on yeah?"

Emily snorted a chuckle before deciding to continue. "Second, if one is to be late, we should tell the other about it immediately."

"That one's known already."

"Third then." The red head replied. "If Emily is busy and can't do the laundry, the dishes and the cleaning, Naomi will do it for her instead."

"What?" Naomi cried out, blinking a few more times more than usual, as if assuring herself that what she had read in her own copy was right.

"When either of us is busy, we have to help each other." Emily reasoned out.

A low grumble escaped from Naomi's throat. "Fine then."

"Fourth. At dinner, whatever is served, we will eat it and like it." Emily carried on. "Fifth--"

"Alright, alright, I get it." Naomi interrupted, cutting the red head off. "You don't have to read everything. I agree to it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Well, saves me some energy then." Emily answered with a smile, her shoulders hunching into a slight shrug as she placed down her own copy on top the coffee table. "Let's see yours then."

Naomi tossed her copy of Emily's contract before grabbing her own contract behind her. "I've only got one thing." She spoke, handing the paper to the red head.

"What is it then?"

"That the relationship lasts one year instead." The blonde answered in a matter of fact tone.

"One year?" Emily cried out, rubbing her eyes to somehow prove that she wasn't reading the wrong thing.

"I'm complying with your terms so at least comply with this one thing." Naomi reasoned out. She wasn't going to back on this one down. She'd make sure Emily would agree to it no matter what.

"But that doesn't make sense!"

Naomi shifted on the couch so that she was facing Emily completely. "Think about it. If we break up in three months, what would people think?"

"I don't know either." Emily violently shook her head. "But whatever they say, a year is just so bloody ridiculous!"

"You can say that. But what about my mum? What would she feel?" Naomi watched as Emily turned almost perfectly still, seemingly engulfed in her own thoughts. "She'll be so disappointed in us. She'd probably think I'm a playgirl or something." She added, stifling the triumphant smile threatening to escape from her lips, because by the looks of things, she was winning.

The thought stopped the red head from protesting, the retort she had been planning to spit out left bundled in her mouth instead. She bit her lip and shut her eyes tight, heaving a couple of deep, jagged sighs as she tried to think and weigh things.

Because Naomi had a point, as always, she had a fucking point.

She let her fingers run through the whole length of her forehead before letting out a resigned sigh. She knew that if she said yes to it, there'd be a huge risk of things getting more complicated than they already were, although there would be a good side to it of course, like Naomi's kisses for example.

And just merely thinking about it made her want to say yes in that instant.

She had managed to stop herself though, because this was one decision that could mean life or death to her. The longer she stayed, the harder she'd fall, maybe up to the point that she wouldn't be able to heave herself up anymore. She was confused enough already, and Naomi had to add Gina. She loved the older Campbell like a real mother, and she couldn't bear the thought of disappointing her or causing her any pain.

It would seem like she actually had no escape.

"Alright, fine." She murmured in defeat. "One year is it then." She sighed exasperatedly as she stood up and reached for the pen from her desk, completely unaware of the silent rejoices Naomi was soundlessly shouting.

***

She still couldn't believe it.

Naomi was holding the contract firmly before her as she stood in the middle of her room, eyeing it with deep exaltation and relief, stroking the thin sheet of paper like a precious little gem she had just managed to get her hands on, because, really, it was worth more than any diamonds or pearls in the world.

It was worth more than any other material thing she could think of, even her beloved car.

She hugged the contract and held it close to her heart before grinning stupidly again, her head bobbing over and over, like she was dancing into a certain beat even though there wasn't any music present in the room at all. It was then that she decided to plug her Ipod on the speaker and turned the volume up loud, her hands instantaneously shooting in the air as she danced to the beat, the contract still gripped tightly.

She never knew that things like this could actually put her in a certain high. Probably excessive euphoria, or the lingering taste of Emily's lips, but whatever it was, it had put her into a pedestal.

She turned around and faced the mirror, her body still moving along with the beat, her hands flailing almost everywhere now as she continuously danced, grinning at her reflection from time to time like a mad man. She was even singing along with the music now.

And it was all just because she got to spend nine more months with Emily.

She turned around with her eyes shut and shook her arse in time with the beat, stopping instantly when she batted them open, and the first thing she saw was Emily standing in her doorway with a look that was torn between keeping a straight face and laughing real hard. She quickly stood up and unplugged the speakers, her cheeks turning bright pink all at once as she blushed out of embarrassment.

Emily cleared her throat and scrunched her nose, stifling the incoming laughter she could feel bounding to escape from her. "What are you doing?"

"Don't you know how to knock?" Naomi spat back instead of answering.

"I knocked a couple of times actually." The red head replied casually. "My knuckles have turned red, see." She watched as the blonde rolled her eyes. "So what are you doing?"

"I'm exercising." Naomi answered in such a low tone that Emily almost failed to catch it.

"Exercising." The red head repeated. "At this time of the night, you're exercising."

"Exercising doesn't always have to be in the morning."

"You're exercising with the contract in your hand?" Emily continued, her brow arching up, completely amused by Naomi's obvious loss for words and excuses.

"It fell." The blonde answered defensively. "I just picked it up."

"Right."

"Look, what do you want?" Naomi asked with a scowl, her cheeks still tainted with a blush.

"I just came to say good night." The red head answered. "But apparently, you're not planning to sleep yet because you're still exercising." She added with a soft chuckle, quoting the last words with her fingers.

"I was exercising!"

"Alright, alright." Emily motioned her hands, as if giving up. "Fine, you're exercising." She smirked in amusement, because Naomi was so wound up. "Good night anyway." She muttered in a few beats, this time offering a sincere smile.

"Good night too." Naomi answered sheepishly, watching Emily under her lids, because, really, after being walked in on such a ridiculous situation, how could she look her straight in the eye?

"Sleep well." The red head added before turning around.

"You too." Naomi replied. "A-And sweet dreams!" She blurted out, her free hand soaring up to cover her mouth quickly, as soon as she realized what she had just said.

It stopped Emily on her tracks and Naomi watched her with a frantic heart beat, as she just stood there motionless for a few moments before spinning around and walking hastily towards the blonde. She halted just a few inches away, leaning on her toes afterwards to plant a soft kiss on Naomi's cheeks, which took the blonde by a complete surprise. "Thanks, you know, for earlier." She murmured sheepishly in that husky tone of hers that it made Naomi swallow hard. "Sweet dreams." She quickly left before the blonde could even respond, feeling the hotness spread fast across her cheeks.

That was one brave move there, and she was more than glad she did it.

It caught Naomi off guard, her reactions kicking in when the door had already been closed by Emily. She fell into a soft chuckle once it all sunk in to her. She dropped herself on the bed and flapped her limbs over and over before releasing another giggle, the stupid grin she was wearing earlier now plastered once again in her face.

Nine more months of this. Bring it on.


	36. Compromise

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 36

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **"_A little push on the right track along with a tad bit boost of self confidence, and Emily found herself walking up to the front door of Freddie's office, her fist already raised and about to knock. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, her mind blocking the unpleasant memories that had started flooding in, all of them about the last time she was stood there. It was something she opted not to remember, locking it up into that vault at the back of her mind, because this wasn't about Effy or Naomi, this was about her and her friendship with Freddie, if she could still call it that."_

**A/N:** First part of this chapter. ^^ The next part will be posted in the next few days. Thanks for all the comments and reviews! Please leave one if you have the time. Enjoy!

If it wasn't the best morning Naomi had ever woken up into, she had no idea what else to call it.

She stirred on her bed slowly as she sensed someone blowing gently against her ear-- or maybe it was whispering, she wasn't entirely sure, the hot, ticklish breath sending a thousand tingles to her cold, sensitive skin. It roused her senses up, up to the point that it made her still half asleep mind do all sorts of twisted thinking, for known and unknown reasons, like Emily's lips kissing her senselessly for an instance, and Emily's scorching touch leaving a smoldering trail against her goose bump raised skin, and Emily's--

A soft prod on the rib, and she was quickly drawn out of it, out of that inappropriate path her mind was starting to dwell and reel into.

She let out a low, guttural groan, resonating from deep within her throat as she struggled to bat her eyes open, with a still sleepy smile curling up instantaneously on the corner of her lips when it was Emily's effulgent face that greeted her, smiling ever so warmly that it made her stomach do countless back flips and somersaults all at once, with matching butterflies incessantly fluttering within.

"Good morning." She heard Emily mutter in that husky tone of hers, ensuing into her breaking to a much wider smile.

"Morning." She replied with a muffled, soft mumble and she blinked a few more times, as if to clear her hazy, sleep-filled mind because it all seemed like a dream to her, waking up in such a way that she'd always thought would only happen on sappy, romantic movies which make her cringe to the fullest. Not that this was making her cringe now, because, clearly, it wasn't.

And since this was all a dream, or at least she thought, she took the most out of it.

Shifting on the bed as she lied flat on her back, she darted her hand out from under the thick covers, her fingers circling around Emily's wrist gently before pulling the red head close without any warning, their lips meeting in an instant into a light, chaste morning kiss-- just like in those mush-filled movies. It lasted quite longer than she had expected it, nor originally planned to, because it was meant to be a quick peck on the lips, though since it was Emily, she'd lost it again. It was already a given.

Until it dawned on her, when Emily pulled away and looked at her with bafflement, surprise and uncertainty dancing in her eyes, that it wasn't a dream at all, nowhere even near it. Emily was indeed there, standing at the side of her bed, in the middle of her room, her face looking all flushed, almost as red as her hair. And she kissed her, kissed her with ridiculous morning breath and everything.

Oh my dear Lord.

She took a long, deep swallow as she stared at the red head with wide, bulging eyes, her fingers retracting from her hold on Emily to grip the covers as hard as she could, as if it would slip away from her hands like sand, by any chance. She propped on the bed against her elbows and pressed her lips together, finally realizing that she had her mouth hanging agape for the last few minutes that had ticked by, ever since Emily pulled back. "W-What are you doing here?" She asked after a few beats, regaining her composure somehow, although the taste of the kiss was still lingering on her lips, like she could ever forget it, really.

"I came to--" Emily paused before taking a huge gulp, pushing her frantic beating heart that seemed to have lodged itself in her throat on its own. "I came to wake you up." She followed as quickly as she could, though with a slight stutter as she was still in a daze from the unexpected kiss.

"But why were you--" Naomi bit her lip. "I mean, why did you have to--"

"Because you wouldn't wake up." The red head answered, understanding what Naomi meant to ask, in some way. "You're going to be late for your meeting."

"But, but--" The blonde drawled out haltingly. "You should have-- I mean, I sleep naked!" She hissed sharply, clutching the covers tighter than she ever could as she spoke.

Emily's face grew even redder at Naomi's words. "I know that now." She swallowed hard before turning quickly around on her heels, facing the huge dresser instead.

"You should've knocked."

"I did! But you weren't answering so I figured, you were in a deep sleep."

"How long have you been here?"

It took the red head a few seconds before she could answer, because hearing the rustling of the covers were doing things with her head, and the fact that Naomi was actually naked under it didn't help at all. "N-Not that long." She screwed her eyes shut and let out uneven breaths, breathing deeply as she inhaled, because, fuck it, she was so close to hyperventilating.

"You didn't--" Naomi hesitated as she shuffled to carefully sit upright this time, raising the duvet higher so that it covered her bare shoulders as well. "I mean, you didn't see anything right?"

Emily shook her head a bit too animatedly, causing her vision to spin for a short moment. "I didn't, don't worry."

"Good then."

"Right." The red head cleared her throat, figuring that this might exactly be the right time to leave the room. "I-uhm, breakfast is ready, and Cook and Katie are waiting for you." She peered over her shoulder to chance a glance at Naomi before scrambling and stepping outside in a hurry that she almost tripped on her feet. "I'll see you downstairs." She called out as she caught herself by leaning her hand against the door, closing it behind her without waiting for the blonde's answer, too embarrassed of the situation already, and her clumsiness in addition to the whole awkward thing.

Naomi, on the other hand, continued to stare towards Emily's direction, even if the door was long closed and Emily had been gone for a good while by now, as her mind was still spinning in a massive daze, what with the recent things that had just occurred. Everything happened so fast that she actually had no idea how it all took place. The only thing clear to her was that she thought that she was rather dreaming, thus leading into that kiss, which brought about another round of tingling sensation rushing all over her, merely by remembering. Blame her still half sleepy mind for it. "Jesus." She softly murmured before filling her cheeks with air, puffing it all out to blow her fringe that was now scattered all over her forehead. Biting her lip afterwards, she stifled the smile that was about to come out, because no matter how awkward and weird it was, a kiss was still a kiss.

And it was still a good morning.

***

"Why are you so red?" Katie curiously asked as she watched her twin descend from the stairs, her brow arching up skeptically. "Did something happen?"

"I slipped." Emily answered with a shake of the head, keeping her head low to hide the worsening blush.

"Right." The older twin replied half heartedly, like she would actually believe. "Didn't know you could blush that much when you slip."

Emily rolled her eyes as she braced herself for the questions she knew Katie was about to bombard her with. "Naomi saw me." Slumping down on the empty seat beside her twin, she leaned her elbows against her knees and fixed her eyes on her fidgeting fingers instead, her gaze falling everywhere except her sister.

"Oh, okay." Katie answered, hunching her shoulders in a shrug. "Speaking of, where is she anyway?"

"Probably still getting ready. She just woke up, you know." A breath of relief subtly escaped her lips, pretty much feeling grateful that Katie had decided to drop it, or at least she thought.

"Why are your ears turning red?"

"Christ. I told you, I slipped." The younger twin answered in such a dismissing tone, something she rarely used, that Katie found herself actually closing her mouth, ceasing a snide retort. Emily could feel her blush getting worse than ever, the image of Naomi under the covers flashing through her mind over and over, like a movie she couldn't pause no matter how much she wanted to.

"Everything alright?"

Her heart skipped a massive beat at the sound of Naomi's voice, looking even more flushed if anymore possible, her face turning redder than a tomato, if that could ever happen. She could feel the hotness on her cheeks escalate into such a high degree that they felt like they were about to burst into flames any moment from now. She was well aware of Katie's quizzical stares, because she still couldn't manage to bring her head up and look at anyone, at anybody's face at all. Her ears were burning hot, and it eventually gave her away, making her efforts on hiding somewhat useless.

"Why are you blushing?" Katie exclaimed, out of nowhere. "God, don't tell me you slipped too?" She cocked her head towards Naomi's direction, demanding for a real answer, because hearing one more of that pathetic excuse of slipping might throw her in a rage. "Is somebody actually going to tell me what's happening?"

"Nothing's happening Katie." The blonde answered dismissively, quickly getting rid of the blush that was once evident through her face. "You're over thinking things."

"Why's Emily blushing as hell then?" Katie continued to pry, her eyes squinting in a skeptical manner.

"I slipped and landed on my bum." It was Emily who answered as she scowled at her sister's endless snooping, wondering if this was actually part of being hormonal. "Naomi saw me."

"Right." Naomi supplied quickly with a half hearted nod. "I kind of laughed at her. Yeah, that's it." She winced subtly because she sounded more like she was convincing herself than convincing Katie at all.

The older twin rolled her eyes. "Fine then."

"So." Naomi sidetracked as she swayed the whole conversation off the previous matter, slumping down the couch beside Emily in the process. "I take it you're accepting my offer then?" She asked, her tone hopeful, though a bit shaky as she felt her knee accidentally brush against Emily's. It was probably a stupid idea to sit beside the red head, knowing full well that Emily could bring about certain reactions in her that she never thought she had, reactions that could probably be downright embarrassing if anyone ever saw or heard.

"Yeah." Katie answered with a tentative nod, nudging Cook in his rib for him to join the conversation.

"Did you tell him?" The blonde asked as her gaze flickered between the couple, watching Katie's expression the most. "I should've not bothered to ask." She rolled her eyes when neither the older twin nor her boyfriend gave any form of answer, pretty much confirming what she had exactly feared of. "So, how much did you tell him Katiekins?" She murmured sardonically with a sneer, somehow sounding like this was all a big joke to her even though this was probably the only issue she's much too afraid of not having a grasp and control over with, not because she knew it was going to be harsh and a guaranteed downhill in terms of her career.

She was afraid because the fact that somebody else knew about the contract made it more real to her, that it actually existed, everything between her and Emily ending within nine months. If that wasn't scary as hell, she didn't know what the definition of the word was anymore.

"Nothing much." She heard Katie answer and she couldn't help but snort out a scoff.

"By that you mean everything?"

"Naomi." Cook called out, though with a heavy tone, first time he spoke since they had arrived. "Be gentle to Katie."

"Jesus." The blonde hissed sharply, letting out an exasperated breath. "I was just asking."

"I kind of told him a lot." Katie confessed, accepting the huddle Cook was offering, as if drawing some strength from him.

"I figured." Naomi brushed off. "You two are kind of a packaged deal." She exhaled wearily as her eyes followed the length of Cook's arm, which was wrapped around Katie's shoulders, somehow wondering how it would feel if she did that to Emily. Cringing a little at the absurdity of her thoughts, she lifted her hand and pinched the bridge of her nose hard and tried to get her focus back on topic, as it would seem that her mind was flying off somewhere again, something she'd been doing lately. Although her action gave Emily a rather wrong impression, probably taking it as a sign of discomfort, and she felt Emily's hand on top of her knee again, just like the last time, squeezing it in such a comforting way that she couldn't help but relax under Emily's touch, giving her a small smile in return to show her appreciation for it. "Look, Cook. Here's the thing." She continued after that brief exchange, clearing her throat to swallow the whimper threatening to come out of her lips, just because Emily's hand was beginning to absently trace lazy patterns over her jeans covered skin. "I just need you to promise me that you'll keep your mouth shut. And I'll give you anything you want."

Emily's head snapped towards Naomi's direction, eyeing the blonde with an incredulous look. "Nai--"

"It's okay Em." She broke off, smiling in the process as if to assure her that she knew what she was saying. Her hand dropped on top of Emily's and she gave it a gentle squeeze, stopping it somehow from what it was doing because it was driving her rather crazy. She returned her attention back to the couple. "I mean it. If you need anything, I'll give it." Naomi didn't miss the way Cook's eyes lightened up at her words. "If you want, I'll pay for Katie's check-ups and medicines."

"Naomi, that's too much!" Emily protested, catching the blonde's attention.

"I just want to be sure Em." She answered firmly. "I need to be sure."

"I think Emily's right." Katie butted in, both to the younger twin and the blonde's surprise. "Just giving us jobs is enough."

"But Katie--"

"I know you don't mean anything bad by it Naomi." Katie interjected, cutting the blonde off. "But it rather adds to the pressure. I mean, you know, it means a lot that you gave us jobs and it's putting enough pressure already." She confessed sheepishly, averting her gaze away from Naomi's questioning eyes. "I hope you get what I mean."

Naomi stayed in silence for a good while, contemplating on Katie's words and weighing her options at the same time, because by the looks of things, the only choice she had left was to trust Katie and Cook in this, since she pretty much gave the best things she could offer by now. All was left on Katie and Cook's hands. "Right." She nodded out of comprehension, her agreement being the last sign needed to close this compromise they had somehow managed to create. "I'm gonna have to trust you two then, and I do mean trust."

Naomi uttered the words with such weight that Katie found it all too unnerving, the seriousness of the situation finally sinking in on her. It was suddenly, like, a matter of life and death then, not only for Naomi, but for Emily as well, the realization of the effect that this secret could bring once it came out hitting her hard, because, really, all hell could break loose and it was not just Naomi who was going to sacrifice and lose things, her twin would too. Emily had already lost some because of her and she knew she won't be able to bear it if her sister would lose more. "Just-- just trust us yeah?" She cleared her throat, shifting on the seat to somehow meet Naomi's eyes, because she was going to mean it this time. "Just do."

The blonde chanced a glance to Emily first, somehow seeking comfort and assurance from her eyes, since Emily knew her sister more than she did. With a subtle nod, the younger twin answered, and she found it rather soothing, knowing the fact that she wasn't alone in dealing with this, that Emily's going to be with her all throughout.

Just the thought alone made her smile.

"My career is in your hands now Katie." She couldn't help but scoff at the idea, because, really, of all people? Katie?

"It's not just me!" The older twin retaliated. "JJ's in it too."

"JJ's crap at making small talk, let alone, talking to somebody he doesn't even know. It's very unlikely of him to spill." Naomi answered casually, her nostrils flaring as she stopped herself from bursting into laughter at the sight of Katie getting all worked up. It was oddly comforting though, that despite of the situations which brought about certain changes to them, some would remain unchanged, this nonstop bickering for one.

"God, why not just tell it straight to my face Naomi?"

"I'm not implying on anything." The blonde replied casually. "'Sides, I told you that it's not you I'm worried about, didn't I?"

Katie rolled her eyes, like it was a mandatory thing to do starting right now, and whenever she was going to talk to Naomi. "And I told you to cut him some slack, didn't I?"

"Is it me that you lot are talking about?" Cook butted in, his gaze flickering between Katie and the blonde.

"Like there'd be anybody else."

"Oi! I can be trusted yeah?" He cried out, in defense of himself. "I may have done stupid things before, but I could still be trust worthy."

"Prove it then." Naomi felt herself being held back on her seat by Emily, as she didn't notice that she was actually getting on the edge. But there just was this unexplainable distrust with Cook, a certain notion that he was always up to no good, or maybe she was just being plain judgmental. "I need you to prove it to me Cook." She replied, granting him the benefit of the doubt for the sake of her peace of mind. "Not with words."

"Look Naomi, I don't know how else I could convince you to trust me, but just do yeah?"

"I'm convincing myself Cook. Believe me, I'm trying."

***

Everything seemed to have been settled then, much to Emily's relief, without bruised lips and bloody cuts getting involved and out of the blue punches being thrown. Things might have flown smoother than she actually expected them to be, especially now that an unwritten truce somehow magically imprinted itself between her twin and Naomi. Something she never really saw coming, knowing that both of them had tempers which were quite hard to control, with tendencies of erupting over the smallest things. Although the snide comments and the bickering were still present, it was enough at least for now.

She watched with an incognizant smile as Naomi gave Katie instructions about the things she would do, having been landed as Naomi's fashion stylist slash assistant. Of course, Katie had tried complaining, telling Naomi that she wasn't allowed to carry heavy things since she was pregnant, equating 'assistant' with 'fucking golf caddy', as she would like to put it. To which the blonde replied with an "I don't think a fucking black berry is as heavy as any luggage at all." sardonically said with a matching roll of the eyes, obviously, since it was Naomi who was speaking. She could swear those two could have a 'who most do an eye roll' contest and it'd be a tie. Although hearing the words Paris, travel, fashion shows and grand hotels used in the same sentence pretty much sold the idea of being an 'assistant' to Katie, her repulsion quickly turning into eagerness. About the fashion stylist thing, Emily knew that Katie was more than thrilled of the idea, since she had always been onto clothes, fashion and the like long before, although she had thought that it was Effy's job already.

She was pretty thankful of her twin when she voiced out the question she'd been meaning to ask, seeing as she still couldn't bring herself to talk about Effy with Naomi, anything about her at all.

Not yet, maybe in time.

"I thought you already have a fashion stylist? Models have, like, one right?"

"I don't." Emily watched as Naomi shook her head. "Effy supplies me with clothes, but she's not my official stylist. I pretty much wore my own style but I'm quite bored with it. I want something new."

It wasn't a big thing at all but Emily couldn't help the wave of relief that washed through her when she heard the answer. Relief over what? She didn't have the faintest idea.

"So let me get this straight." Katie tried to clarify. "I get to dress you up, keep track of your appointments and--"

"You get to travel with me and Panda." Naomi interjected, finishing Katie's sentence for her.

"Like, to anywhere?" The older twin's eyes widened with surprise, almost popping out when she saw Naomi nod in answer. "You're serious?" A small squeal escaped from her throat, brought about by the idea that she was actually landing on her dream job after all.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself Katie?" Naomi rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time, Emily noted with a chuckle.

"God, I was just checking."

"What about me?" Cook butted in, catching the blonde's attention.

"I talked to Thomas and he'll give you a job." Naomi answered casually.

"Do I get to travel too?"

"Not actually Cook." The blonde replied and bit her bottom lip.

"What job do I exactly have?"

Naomi broke into a wide grin, with teeth bared and all. "Caretaker."

"Of what?" Cook blurted out, completely taken aback of what he had just heard.

"Toilets."

"But--" He squirmed on his seat in protest, his arm dropping from Katie's shoulders. "Are you serious?"

"It's the only job Thomas could offer right now." She brushed off. "There's nothing else vacant at the moment."

"Are you still mad at me?" He asked, turning his head to look at the younger twin. "I mean, come on. I can't be cleaning toilets while Katie's living the time of her life."

"Why ask me?" Emily retorted. "I don't have anything to do with it."

He shifted on the couch, returning his attention back to the blonde, throwing a glare to Katie, who was chuckling beside him, in the process. "Naomi." He called out in a serious tone. "Surely, there's something else yeah?"

A light hearted shrug rolled out of Naomi's shoulders, causing Cook to bury his face in his open palms, scrunching it altogether in a rather disappointed manner. Taking this as the perfect opportunity, Naomi twisted to the side and faced a silently giggling Emily, letting out a subtle wink to somehow convey the scheme she had managed to successfully pull out, in revenge for her, one way or another.

With a grateful smile, Emily soundlessly mouthed "thank you" to the blonde, before covering her mouth with her hand to hide her continuous giggling, her gratitude being answered with a playful quirk of Naomi's eyebrow, the corner of her lips curling into a sly smile, which later on turned into a soft laugh when Cook continued to grumble under his breath even if Katie was consoling him already, with a faltering straight face.

"We best be off then." Naomi announced after a few beats, still slightly amused with Cook's seemingly incessant ramblings. "Won't want to be late on your first day, would you?"

A weird sound came from Cook, which was something torn between a snort and a groan, his face obviously pained, probably imagining the amount of toilets he was bound to clean and how disgusting it could actually be.

"Right." She announced dismissively, rising from the couch with the others following her, except from Emily who remained on her seat, though their hands were still linked, unconsciously.

"You'll be back by dinner though?" Emily asked with a light tug on Naomi's hand, the hopefulness in her tone irrefutable.

"I won't be long." The blonde answered with a soft smile. "I'm just gonna show Katie her way around, and take her home, eventually."

"Oh, okay." The younger twin nodded before flashing a warm smile in return. "I'll probably take a walk then."

"To where?"

"Not sure where yet." She replied with a shrug. "But I'll be back before you get home."

Naomi took a deep breath and bit her lip before answering. "Be careful then."

"I will. You too yeah? Drive safely."

It was that simple brush of Naomi's thumb along the back of Emily's hand, which Katie saw, done repeatedly a few more times, something acted out absentmindedly, together with a soft smile and softened eyes that led Katie into thinking that this certain kind of connection probably wasn't revolving around the contract anymore. It was something deeper, a kind of connection destined to grow into something else, something wonderful, as how Katie would like to put it.

She exhaled a subtle breath of relief, as if a huge amount of pressure had been lifted from her shoulders, because, maybe, things might not turn that bad like Naomi once said it could be. It may even stir into a totally different direction, by the looks of it.

***

A little push on the right track along with a tad bit boost of self confidence, and Emily found herself walking up to the front door of Freddie's office, her fist already raised and about to knock. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, her mind blocking the unpleasant memories that had started flooding in, all of them about the last time she was stood there. It was something she opted not to remember, locking it up into that vault at the back of her mind, because this wasn't about Effy or Naomi, this was about her and her friendship with Freddie, if she could still call it that.

With a light knock on the door, she patiently waited for the muffled "Come in" that Freddie normally uttered, her heart thumping out loud when she finally heard it, barely passing against the thick wooden door. A quick deep breath and she twisted the door handle, taking a tentative step forward with her head popping on the threshold, her gaze trained on a still oblivious Freddie who was busily fumbling with the papers sprawled all over his desk. She felt her breath hitching hastily, holding it in altogether when Freddie, at long last, tore his eyes away from his work, their gazes meeting eventually. She watched as he froze on his seat, his hands instantaneously dropping on his desk along with the papers he was holding, his lips pressing into such a tight line that Emily lost all the courage to speak. His face was a mixture of pain and surprise, though there wasn't any hint of anger in there, even in his eyes, and Emily couldn't help but be relieved somehow.

"Hey." Freddie softly called out after a few beats, recovering from his utter surprise.

"Hey." Emily mumbled sheepishly, catching her bottom lip in between her teeth afterwards, a total give away that she was actually losing her nerves.

"What are you doing there?" He managed to force out a chuckle, though it was strained. "Come in yeah?"

The red head nodded in response and proceeded to take the seat in front of the desk, not the place she usually occupied on the couch. She thought it was probably for the better though, to maintain some distance between them, as she was about to clear things anyway.

"This is a surprise." She didn't miss the pain on his tone and she winced subtly upon hearing it. "What brought you here?"

"I came to talk to you." She replied as she placed her purse down and shifted on her seat, into a much more comfortable position. "I mean, about--" She paused and took a deep swallow, pushing back the lump that was forming on her throat, blocking her words out. "About last time."

Freddie clasped his hands together and took a deep breath, since he knew too well that _this_ was what it was all about. "What about it?" He asked in a low tone, masking the hurt in his voice.

"I want to apologize. I've been wanting to, for a long time." Emily confessed, throwing sideway glances at Freddie instead, because she just couldn't bear to look at him right now, couldn't bear to see him in pain. "I just couldn't seem to find the courage to do it."

"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I did. I know I did."

"Tell me what then?" Freddie replied, slouching back on his swivel chair with his fingers rubbing his temples.

It took Emily a good while before she could muster the strength to answer, because, really, admitting something you knew you did wrong had never been easy. "I've been selfish." She softly muttered, though with conviction. "I led you on and--"

"If I remember it right, it was me who made a certain decision." He interjected, cutting the red head off. "It was me who decided to pursue despite the odds."

"And I should've stopped you." She supplied quickly. "Stopping you was the right thing to do, but I didn't. And now you're hurting because of it, because of me."

"It was part of it, of the whole thing. Definitely a consequence of my decision."

"Freddie." She softly called out. "Just please be honest with me. If you're mad at me, tell me."

"But I am being honest." He hissed lowly. "I'm not mad at you, alright? I can't be."

"But surely, you do feel something bad."

"I do." He affirmed after a long pause, which seemed like an eternity to Emily. "I'm hurt, but I'm not angry at you."

She brought her guilt-filled eyes down and fixed them on her fidgeting fingers instead, blinking the newly formed tears away, because, in one way or another, this was hurting her as well. Though it was nothing compared to what Freddie must be feeling right now. "I'm sorry." She whispered, almost inaudible to Freddie's ears.

They both fell in silence for quite a long while, their jagged breaths and deeps sighs being the only sounds that could be heard around.

"Have you ever watched that movie, Imagine Me and You?" He asked after a few beats with a tight smile curling up on the corner of his lips.

Emily gently shook her head and brought her gaze up, eyeing Freddie with a quizzical look. "What about it?"

"There's this-- this line there." He paused and withdrew his hands which were resting on the arm rest, propping them against his desk as he leaned forward a little bit. "About something being the unstoppable force and something else being the immovable object." He took a deep breath and reached for his pen, twirling it around with his fingers, busying himself with something he could do to at least sway his mind off the pain, even just a little bit. "You see Emily. I tried to be the immovable object. God knows I tried real hard to be." He stopped twirling, gripping the pen tightly instead, so tight that the poor thing was almost snapping in half. "But you and Naomi, it's just unstoppable. And as much as I wanted to, we can't both exist at the same time. Somehow, someone needs to give way."

"Freddie--" She tried to protest, to voice out a single disagreement, because the guilt was eating her entirely. Freddie didn't know anything about the contract, but he's hurting because of it, he was hurting for the wrong reasons. Yet, no matter how hard she tried to push something out, the words were left bundled in her mouth.

"Really, you should see the film." He snorted a forced chuckle, trying to make things light between them. "I'm crap at explaining. You'll understand more if you watch it."

"Freddie, are we--I mean, do you want me to stay away?" She asked begrudgingly, seeing that this was the only option to stop the two of them from hurting. "I'll do that if you want. I'll stay away from you."

"Don't be silly." He fell into a scoff. "We're friends. We can't let this get in between us."

"But--"

"Just give me some time Emily." He added firmly. "A little time to heal."

"Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" A shrug rolled out from his shoulders. "Besides, I'm still your editor and you're working for me, pretty much gives you more reasons to stay."

"What can I do then? I mean, to help?"

"Really, Emily. I'll be fine." He replied with enough finality in his tone. "Don't worry about me that much yeah?"

"I can't help it." She mumbled sheepishly, averting her gaze away from Freddie, eventually falling on her fingers again. "Because we're friends."

"Try not to then." He answered back. "And maybe, we should stop talking about it, because the more that we do, the more it seems real, the more it becomes a big deal."

"I guess you're right." Emily nodded in agreement, after a short pause.

"It's like scratching an already healing wound again whenever we talk about it. And it makes it a lot easier to forget if we stop remembering."

"And some distance might help?" She suggested after a few beats, planning to keep Freddie at bay, to prevent him from hurting even further.

"It might." He replied casually as he pursed one of his hands inside the pocket of his trousers. "A safe distance I guess, for the meantime."

Feeling that this was the best compromise they could come up with, she decided to agree. "I'm okay with that." She'd actually say yes to anything that would keep her friendship with Freddie, because in truth, he was one of the best she ever had, aside from JJ. "I do have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"If ever-- I mean, when I step over the line, will you tell me?" She continued warily, mindful of Freddie's reactions.

Freddie let out a soft chuckle, much to the red head's surprise. "You worry too much Emily. I told you, I'll be fine. You don't have to set rules or something."

"I'm not." She countered. "I'm just, you know, being careful."

"You don't need to." He replied, this time, with a softer smile, the tightness present earlier somehow disappearing. "I think the distance would be enough."

"Well, if you say so."

"Really Emily. Stop worrying yeah?"

"I'll try." She answered, flashing him a warm smile in return.

It wasn't something perfect, though at least they had arrived into something they would both be comfortable with, a certain moot point where they could start rebuilding the friendship they thought they almost had lost.

It wasn't entirely resolved, but it would be enough for now.

***


	37. Compromise II

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 36 Part 02

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **"_Naomi's mouth opened and closed, like that of a fish's, ceasing the retort she was planning to throw, thinking that it was just plain lame and absurd, because, really, it was hard to drive and process things at the same time, especially things that were pissing her off the moment she found out about them. "Do you have to eat spaghetti now?" She shrieked over the phone instead, grimacing upon realizing how silly she actually sounded."_

**A/N:** Next part. Hope you all like this. ^^ (Next chapter would be full of Naomily times)

"Your car is fucking mint."

"Mint?" Cook snorted out an objection. "It's a fucking Ferrari, babe." He exclaimed as he spread his arms wide open and gestured towards the car, eyeing it with immense adoration and a matching huge grin evident on his face. "Mint-- is not even the word for it."

Katie begrudgingly tore her gaze away from Naomi's car, as she was still amused by the metallic and quite glittering color of it, which reminded her of sparkly nail polishes in some way, throwing her boyfriend a 'what are you even talking about' look afterwards. "God, you know that I don't speak, like, car and driver." She snapped back at him. "It's just that, the color's real nice, and it looks so cool."

"_It_ being cool is an understatement."

"Why thank you, Katie." Naomi backed away from the red head for a few steps and clutched the hem of her skirt, her foot soon brushing along the ground as she dragged it behind the other, carrying out a curtsy with a rather smug grin plastered across her face.

The older twin rolled her eyes before exhaling a loud snort. "You're so cute don't you know that?" She retorted with a sneer, the words rolling out of her tongue in such a sarcastic manner.

"Oh, I do." The blonde replied, grinning back widely. "I get that all the time, in fact."

"Right." Katie drawled out dismissively, feeling her hormones wind up once more, eventually getting her on the verge of lashing Naomi out again, which, undoubtedly, wasn't such a good idea as much appealing as it would seem, especially right after just having been landed her dream job. "First of all, I think we should get going and second," She paused and dragged her eyes up and down Naomi's now upright form, as if scrutinizing the blonde and her entire look, her eyes squinting clearly of disapproval or something of the same kind. "Less skirts, more tight jeans." She quickly followed with a raised eyebrow as she folded her arms over her chest.

"What's wrong with skirts?" Naomi asked in a slightly raised tone, her brow quirking in confusion. "I love wearing them."

"Because you've got, like, long and fit legs yeah?" Katie answered with another roll of the eyes, sounding rather irritated, because, really, she couldn't see the need to point out the obvious. "And the jeans kind of accentuate it. You've got to flaunt them."

"You mean, like the way you flaunt your-- you know." Naomi drawled out hesitatingly, her hands gesturing along her own chest to show what she actually was referring to.

"My what?"

"I think she meant your tits babe." It was Cook who answered, his lips pulled up into a sly grin, sending Katie into a fast spreading blush which rarely even happen, and Naomi to quickly avert her gaze away from Katie's wide, abashed eyes.

"Well." The older twin replied upon recovering after a few beats, her face equipped then with a smug and somewhat flattered expression. "I guess you've found the perfect girl for the job."

"Whatever you say Katie." Naomi answered in between her snorted laughter, slightly shaking her head in the process. "Whatever you say." She turned around on her heels and headed towards the driver's side of the car, stopping right by the door after she had pulled it open. "Well?" She called out, mainly to catch Katie's wavering attention. "Get in then."

"Oh, right." Katie scrambled on her steps as she hurriedly reached for the door, by her side, hopping in on the passenger seat immediately while Cook loudly voiced out a protest just before she could even close it.

"Oi! What about me?" He ducked his head low, desperately searching for an empty seat, which, unfortunately, was impossible to have since the Ferrari California that Naomi owned was, in fact, a two-seater car. "Where do I sit?"

"I could give you a ride." A shrug rolled out of Naomi's shoulders. "That's if you could fit yourself in the trunk." She added, biting her bottom lip as she struggled to keep a straight face. "Or maybe you could, you know, lie flat on the roof and we'll slightly roll down the windows so you could have the frames to hold onto."

Katie's hand soared up quickly to cover her mouth, muffling the laughter that was bubbling up inside her, threatening to burst out.

"Very funny." He squinted his eyes and looked at her loathingly. "You're loving this blondie, aren't you?"

"Oh, please." Naomi rolled her eyes at him. "Obviously, there are only two seats." She flung the door open and ducked her head, hastily hopping in on the driver's seat. After settling herself comfortably, with her seatbelt firmly buckled in place, she leaned forwards to chance a look at Cook, planning to throw another snide retort she had in mind. "Besides." She started, catching Cook's attention. "You're a grown up man and not fucking pregnant, so yeah, stop whining and take the bus." She uttered, before speeding her Ferrari down the road, with such finality that it left Cook scowling and completely discomfited, with his hands over his head, sighing deeply in aggravation.

***

"Are you used to people constantly snooping around and stuff?" Naomi later on asked while driving, throwing sideway glances to the older twin sitting beside her as she juggled her attention between the red head and the road.

Katie averted her gaze away from the car window to chance a look at Naomi. "What do you mean?"

"It gets nasty most of the time." The blonde replied matter-of-factly, not to scare the older twin but to just merely state the truth. "I do mean nasty, you know, with the paparazzi and everything. The stuff you often see on telly? It gets worse than that."

Katie hunched her shoulders and shrugged, as if brushing the entire issue off, since it wasn't that much of a big deal for her. "They can snoop the hell they want, for all I care."

"Good then." Naomi answered, rather impressed, her lips curling up into a slight smirk. "Emily never really got the hang of it." She continued after a short pause, the smirk she was wearing slowly turning into a soft, warm smile at the mention of the younger twin's name.

"She's just not that type of person."

"I know."

"She prefers being out of the scene." Katie added with a light chuckle. "Like, she hates the idea of being popular."

"Yeah, kind of." Naomi bobbed her head in agreement, joining the older red head in her chuckling. "It comes in handy though."

"Really?" Katie blurted out in surprise. "How?"

"She keeps me tied on the ground." The blonde replied in a different tone, more like appreciative, followed by a fond smile she had no idea she was actually wearing. "Every time I come home, just seeing her reminds me that at the end of the day, I'm still a normal person who can live a normal life, without the fame and everything." She chanced a glance to Katie while she brought the car into a complete stop, in accordance with the red traffic light before them, her brow quirking as she breathlessly mouthed "What?" to the older twin, seeing the knowing smirk that brought Katie's lips curled to the side.

"You like my sister don't you." It wasn't a question asking for any confirmation or clarification at all. Rather, more like stating an incontestable opinion, or, the truth, in Katie's eyes.

The light turned green just in time Katie had finished speaking, her words taking Naomi by a complete surprise, causing the car to jerk forwards all of a sudden upon stepping on the gas pedal a little harder than she should initially have. "What are you talking about?" Naomi answered with a slightly raised yet shaky tone, sounding obviously wound up, and was absolutely at loss all at once that she jumped and burst into a fit of curses under her breath when the car behind them honked real loud, out of nowhere. "Go ahead and fucking overtake then tosser!" She shrieked in utter annoyance, even though she knew very well that she had absolutely no chances of being heard, her eyes trained on the offending car until it was out of her sight. "Fucking arsehole." Returning her attention back to the older red head, once she had finally managed to calm herself down, she scowled. "What the fuck Katie?"

"Nothing." Katie raised her shoulders into a light hunch, much to Naomi's further discomfort. "Just saying, you know." She brushed off with a smirk. "God, am I not allowed to, like, talk about my opinions anymore?"

Naomi cleared her throat before she answered to clarify things, her voice growing firmer than how she sounded a few minutes ago. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Well, whatever." Katie rolled her eyes and averted her gaze away from the blonde, busying herself instead into looking at the blurring streets they pass by through the car window. "You're so worked up."

It somehow confirmed Katie's claim though. Naomi might have not answered yes, but she didn't deny it either.

***

"I can't believe this is really fucking happening."

Naomi struggled to keep a straight face but was obviously failing, her snorted laughter feebly feigned into a cough. "I wasn't kidding when I told you it's the only available job." She replied with another light chuckle upon seeing Cook's pained face, while he was being handed his work clothes, grumbling continuously under his breath as he eyed the poor clothes with so much loathing, like he was extremely disgusted with them.

"Babe, I'm sure they'll look good on you." Katie butted in, mainly for the purpose of consoling Cook, although the effectiveness of her words didn't even reach a single percent since her features pretty much belied the sincerity she was trying to voice out.

"I'd rather be a fucking mascot than this." Cook retorted under his breath, his forehead folding into several layers of tight creases as he continued to glower, holding the clothes in a manner like they were burning his hands.

"Don't worry." It was Thomas, his tone somehow reassuring. "If there's a different one available, I'll make sure to transfer you immediately."

"See." Naomi interjected, smirking slyly. "It's just temporary." She then turned around, throwing a subtle wink at Thomas as she passed by him before stepping out of the office completely, quickly followed by Katie.

"Temporary my arse."

***

For some unknown, twisted reason, Effy felt like a threat.

It took Katie just a good while of keen observation, a watchful eye and a fair ability of interpreting body gestures and movements, before she had arrived on that particular conclusion. She certainly was no relationships expert and neither an excellent body language reader, but the simple interactions, such as the longing looks that Effy usually gave, no matter how much she tried to hide it, and the timid but somewhat meaningful smiles that Naomi would reciprocate pretty much solidified everything.

Effy was assisting a fumbling Naomi with the dress she was trying out, and a few locks of hair escaped from Naomi's carefully arranged style, which Effy later on caught and tucked behind Naomi's ear, her fingertips brushing along Naomi's soft, pale cheek, her touch _definitely_ lingering.

Definitely, because Katie could count the seconds that ticked by.

With a brief exchange of appreciative looks that the older red head didn't miss, one merely saying 'thank you' and the other rather admiring the beauty in front of her, Katie had instantaneously been sold to the idea of Effy being a threat.

To what? Katie absolutely didn't have any single clue.

***

"Hey Em." Naomi cheerfully greeted once Emily had picked up the phone. "I just took Katie home."

"Nai-Nai." She heard the red head greet back on the other line, her light, excited tone hinting a smile. "Oh, you guys finished early?"

"Yeah." She answered as she pressed her mobile in between her ear and her shoulder, upon finding the need to use her other hand to guide the steering wheel when she turned on one corner. "I just showed her around and introduced her to Panda and Thomas." She shifted on her seat, holding the phone once again with her hand after she had made it through the curve. "Oh and Effy too."

"Oh, I see." Naomi didn't miss the sudden change on Emily's tone, sounding a tad bit sadder compared to earlier. "Did she have a nice time?"

"Yeah she did. You should have seen Cook though. The look on his face was hilarious." She replied with a soft chuckle, brushing her observation off, although she couldn't help but ask. "Everything alright there?"

"Yeah, it's all good."

"Where are you by the way?"

"I was up for a walk but then I decided to drop by Freddie's office instead." Emily answered casually.

"What?" The blonde cried out, fumbling with her phone which she nearly had dropped upon hearing Emily's words. "W-What are you-- I mean, why are you there?"

"I wanted to talk to him." The red head drawled out haltingly, like Naomi's question was the most ridiculous thing to ask. "And he's inviting me for lunch. We'll eat spaghetti." A small squeal broke forth her lips, rushing together with her words, as she couldn't hide the excitement she was feeling, like a child who was looking forward onto eating ice cream, given that it had been ages since she had last eaten any form of pasta.

The sound just tipped the blonde's mood off even further, escalating it onto the highest possible degree.

Naomi's mouth opened and closed, like that of a fish's, ceasing the retort she was planning to throw, thinking that it was just plain lame and absurd, because, really, it was hard to drive and process things at the same time, especially things that were pissing her off the moment she found out about them. "Do you have to eat spaghetti now?" She shrieked over the phone instead, grimacing upon realizing how silly she actually sounded.

"Why not?" Emily's voice sounded faint that Naomi had guessed that the red head probably pulled the phone away when she shouted, though she really couldn't be bothered, what with her being so incredibly worked up right now.

"Because--" Naomi took a pause, fumbling with her words as she tried to come up with something actually sensible. "Who knows? It might be spoiled!" She made a face at probably the lamest excuse she had ever given her entire life, her tongue clucking against the roof of her mouth to show her disapproval. "Look, just don't ask why, but you can't eat spaghetti now." She muttered heavily, her tone imposing. "We'll eat tomorrow."

"Jesus, Naomi." The red head hissed on the other line, blowing out an exasperated breath. "What's up with you now?"

"What? Nothing! It's just--" She blinked a few times and gnashed her teeth together as her mind worked out any excuse she could throw, anything she could reason out at all.

"Naomi?"

"It's mum." She followed quickly, biting on her lip hard afterwards, up to the point that it was almost bleeding, because, really, using her mother as an excuse was just plain pathetic.

"What about Gina?" Emily exclaimed, worry evident on her voice.

"She's-- she's sick and she wants to see you." She bit the inside of her cheek after murmuring "Shit." that Emily had heard and questioned, to which she responded with a mere "Nothing, just worried." which added another thread to her woven lie.

"Oh God, hang on." The line went silent for a few beats, except for the loud thumping of her heart and the muffled voices she could hear, on which she supposed was Emily and Freddie talking. "Okay, pick me up here yeah? I'll be waiting for you in front of the building."

"Oh." She muttered, scolding herself for sounding relieved and rather cheerful, because her excuse took effect quicker than she had expected it to. She genuinely thought that Emily would take a lot more of convincing. "Okay, see you in a few." She hung up, flipping her phone closed upon hearing Emily's goodbye, her lips pulling up into a triumphant smile.

She knew she should be feeling guilty for using the worst possible excuse she could ever think of, but she just couldn't be bothered by it as of the moment, not when she had manage to eliminate Freddie from the scene for the umpteenth time again.

***

Within half an hour, she arrived in front of the building, scowling instantaneously upon seeing Emily and Freddie standing next to each other, along the waiting place, with an incognizant low growl resonating from deep within her throat. The car skidded into a complete halt as she stopped right before Emily, grumbling under her breath while she watched the red head and Freddie exchange goodbyes from the corner of her eyes, because she just couldn't bear to stare. Her lips were quivering with a tremendous amount of jealousy that she actually came to a point where she considered pulling Emily and shoving her inside of the car, just because. She drummed her fingers impatiently on top of the arc of the steering wheel, her foot tapping on the floor mats along with it, because, really, since when did saying goodbye to someone take that long?

"I'll see you around Freds." She exhaled a deep breath of satisfaction upon hearing Emily speak, which hinted the end of the conversation she had been wanting to bring into a close ever since.

Although the next part, she hadn't expected to happen, even in her dreams.

She watched, this time with wide, bulging eyes, as Emily slowly stepped on her toes, leaning towards Freddie to plant a chaste kiss on his cheek, murmuring a soft "Thank you." afterwards while she pulled back, a warm smile flashing right before she turned away from him and headed towards the car. It was innocent and meant to be friendly, probably done out of gratitude, but Naomi couldn't help that sudden twinge of jealousy that rushed all over her, her heart constricting tight along with the surging emotion, so tight that it was making her ache, finding it harder for her to breathe. The pain felt like an undeviating stab pierced through her chest, like her heart was suddenly being ripped out and torn into a thousand bits and pieces. Slow and torturing. And the longer she stayed rooted on the same place, the louder and more ravaging the ripping went, she could almost hear it in her ears. She screwed her eyes shut and swallowed hard, pushing her frantic beating heart back to its place because it was beating so fast, desperately pounding its way out of her chest.

"Naomi, Gina will be okay, right?"

She took a deep breath before answering Freddie's question without sparing a glance at him, her eyes fixed on the street ahead instead as she batted them open. "I'll have to go see." She muttered nonchalantly, her voice dangerously low and grave. After a few beats, she heard the car door close and uttered "See you around." to him quickly, merely out of courtesy, flooring the gas pedal at once without even bothering to wait for Freddie's reply.

She drove in silence for a good while, perfectly aware of the quizzical yet hesitating looks Emily was throwing, but she just couldn't bring herself to speak, not when the piercing feeling of jealousy was still lingering on her chest, wrapping around her heart like it was clinging onto it for dear life.

Until Emily just couldn't take it anymore.

"Naomi, are you okay?"

"Yeah." She answered grumpily, her grip on the steering wheel tightening that her knuckles were slowly turning into white.

"I know you're worried." The red head shifted on her seat, getting a better view of Naomi. "But everything's going to be alright." Her forehead furrowed into a deep crumple when the blonde didn't give any form of response, but was instead constantly grumbling under her breath, the terms 'kiss', 'friendly' and 'tosser' being the only words Emily could make out. She wanted to reach out for her, yet she was too bloody scared to do so, what with Naomi seeming deeply fuming about something that she actually looked like she was going to pounce on anybody. "Nai--"

"I'm alright." The blonde interjected, cutting Emily off though still sounding ill-tempered.

Emily's hands recoiled back to her lap, just as she was about to reach out, choosing to keep her concern to herself instead, somehow giving Naomi a few moments to cool her head down.

Without fair warning, Naomi suddenly wheeled the car further left, causing the red head to jump and hold securely on both sides of her seat until Naomi had skidded into a full stop, pulling up alongside the curb. She just felt the need to get _this_ out of her system, this overwhelming jealousy consuming her, because, fuck it, it was just a friendly kiss, not like it was going to mean something. Though she knew it wouldn't be anywhere as easy, not when the image of Emily and Freddie kept flashing on her mind, over and over.

She angrily slammed her hand against the steering wheel before slouching down on her seat, her back hitting the seat rest with a solid thud. She was just that overly jealous, it was actually ridiculous. Withdrawing her hands from the wheel, she let her fingers run through her hair, massaging her head in the process to somehow help her blow off some steam, sliding them down later on to both her temples, rubbing the soft skin there and soothing the veins that she could feel throbbing beneath it.

"Naomi?" She could feel Emily shuffling on her own seat, heard the unbuckling of her seatbelt even, a hand reaching towards her later on, with nimble fingers running along her forehead in such a comforting manner. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." She murmured with her eyes closed, breathing out an exasperated breath afterwards. "I guess I'm just-- just tired."

"Well if you want we could stay here for a while." Emily suggested, her fingers still gently trailing along the whole length of Naomi's forehead. "Until you feel like you've gotten enough rest."

"That sounds good." The blonde softly murmured as she fluttered her eyes open, smiling softly when it was Emily's face that greeted her, looking a little worried.

"Headache?"

"Nah." She replied with a slight shake of the head. "Just tired."

Emily slowly leaned in, planting a soft kiss on Naomi's forehead, much to the blonde's surprise. "Feeling better?"

Naomi rolled her eyes before snorting out a light chuckle. "Definitely."

***

"How sick is your Mum by the way?" Emily worriedly asked, minutes after they had started their drive again, catching Naomi off guard, her supposed to be excused long forgotten, surreptitiously blaming Emily's kiss for it.

"W-We have to go to find out." The blonde replied almost inaudibly, stammering with her words as she tried to think of another sound excuse she could yet again use to get her out of this one this time. Spotting her phone lying on the dashboard, she hurriedly grabbed it, flipping it open before announcing loudly. "Someone's calling!"

"But--" Emily was cut off immediately, once Naomi had started speaking, opting to listen to whatever conversation was about to occur.

"Mum?" She took a glimpse of the reflection on the rearview mirror, mainly to check out the red head's reaction. "You say you're okay now?" She feigned a sigh of relief upon seeing Emily's brow quirk, probably in confusion with the things that were suddenly taking place. As much as Naomi despised it, she had no choice. "Are you sure you're feeling better?"

Emily continuously fidgeted on her seat, patiently waiting for the conversation to be over, a thousand questions forming on her mind, with "Why didn't I hear the phone ring?" on top of them all.

"So we don't need to come over?" She heard Naomi speak once more. "Are you sure? Alright then, if that's what you want Mum." She watched as the blonde flipped her phone close, tossing it on the dashboard right after, her lips pulling up into a rather suspicious grin.

"That was your Mum?" Emily asked, her eyes squinting in a skeptical manner.

Naomi nodded in answer, a little too animatedly, which brought about another round of suspicions swimming around Emily's head. "She says we don't need to come over."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's a relief." The blonde breathed in a lungful of air, filling her cheeks first before puffing it all out noisily.

"Indeed." Emily replied, sounding completely dubious. "I didn't even hear your phone ring." She added casually, throwing the blonde a knowing look while she folded her arms over her chest.

"Shit." Naomi soundlessly mouthed, Emily's words catching her off guard. "I--" She struggled with her own words, her mind now seemingly incapable of weaving out any other excuse, probably feeling a little bit overused. "I-It's on, you know, silent mode." She quickly followed with a shrug, subtly fidgeting on her seat to hide her discomfort. "Can't be disturbed while I'm driving." She let out a small laugh, grimacing instantaneously when she heard it sounding rather nervous and shaky.

"Really? Coz I tho--" The red head was cut off in an instant, by Naomi's phone suddenly ringing, of all things.

Naomi hastily grabbed the mobile and flipped it open, the incessant loud tone making her more fretful by the second. "Hey Panda." She chanced a glance towards Emily, her cheeks tainting into a blush at once, seeing the knowing smirk plastered on the red head's face. "Can we talk later? I'm kind of busy now." She tossed the mobile back to where it had previously been after hearing Pandora's reply, her gaze now fixed on the road, rather than it flickering between Emily and the street.

"Silent mode eh?" The red head bantered after a few beats, her smirk now matched with a quirking eyebrow.

"I switched it to Loud after talking to Mum." Naomi quickly supplied, still without looking at Emily as she was still desperately hiding her blush.

"That fast?"

"Yeah, that fast. Because I'm that great."

"Alright." Emily conceded for a moment. "But we're still going there."

"But Mum said there's no need!" Naomi shouted in protest, finally tearing her gaze away from the road to throw sideway glances to the read head, looking at her with utter disbelief. "She's okay."

"I wanna see it for myself." Emily replied with enough conviction, a tone which implied her decision as inalterable. "Unless--" She purposely broke off.

"Unless what?" The blonde anxiously asked.

"You're lying about something."

Naomi couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Jesus."

"Well then, we're going."

"Oh, shit."

***

Gina was cheerfully spraying water all over her flowers, strutting happily along the garden, humming even, when she heard Emily's voice suddenly echoing around the whole yard, sounding rather worried. "In here dear." She called out, smiling afterwards upon getting her first glimpse of the red head, who was running to her with her daughter in tow, trailing behind.

"How are you? Are you alright? Why aren't you in bed? You should be resting!" Emily asked in such an unremitting manner, the words spilling out with almost no intervals at all, that she sounded like she was eating them all up instead.

"Emily, dear." The older Campbell placed a hand over the red head's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze to somehow calm her down, which seemed to take effect as quickly as it could. "Are you alright? You sound upset."

"Why are you not in bed Gina?" Emily asked instead, brushing the older woman's remark. "You're sick, you should take a rest."

"Sick?" A confused laugh escaped from Gina's lips, eyeing the red head with a quizzical look. "But I'm not--"

"Mum!" Naomi shrieked out real loud as she jumped from behind Emily, her arms wrapping around her mother, enveloping her into a tight hug. "You're all better. Thank God."

"But I'm perfectly fine." The older woman drawled out haltingly, still confused of the things suddenly taking place. "Did someone say I'm sick?"

Naomi threw another glimpse towards the now surprised red head, grimacing subtly upon seeing the not so amused look on her face, because, in truth, she hadn't expected things to go this far, and she wasn't prepared for it one bit. "Mum." She swallowed hard, bringing her attention back to her confused mother. "I think-- I think I had a dream."

Gina pulled back slightly to chance a better look at her somewhat unpredictable daughter. "A dream?"

"Yeah. Yeah that's it!" Naomi nodded exceedingly, swallowing hard once again in the process. "Y-You were sick. I was so scared. It seemed so real." She continued to act, dragging the words out gravely to make it more believable, even planting kisses on her mother's cheek for the sake of added dramatic effect.

"Love, do tell me." The older woman called out, eyeing Naomi quizzically. "Are you intoxicated?"

"No." The blonde blurted out. "I drove here Mum." She scowled.

"Emily, is she alright?" Gina turned to the now giggling red head, her wrinkled forefinger pointing towards her daughter's direction.

The red head bit her lip, stifling another round of giggles bubbling up inside her. "She's just tired Gina. Probably why she's dreaming of things." She folded her arms over her chest, quirking her brow as she smirked at Naomi, who quickly averted her gaze once she caught her eyes.

Gina returned her attention back to her daughter, looking all flushed as she stood by her side, Naomi's face now tainted bright pink. "I think I should be the one asking if you're alright."

"I am." The younger blonde murmured sheepishly, thoroughly embarrassed upon realizing that she might have made a fool out of herself in front of her very own mother and Emily. "I'm just tired. Em is right." She added after a few beats, her eyes now fixed on the floor and her hands clasped together after unwinding them from being encircled around her Mum's shoulders.

"You look like you could use some tea love." Gina kindly offered, sliding her fist under Naomi's chin to bring her head up, eventually meeting her daughter's eyes. "To the kitchen then."

Naomi answered with a half hearted nod as she headed inside at once, leaving without another single word uttered, her lips pressed in a tight line as she passed by the red head.

"You should probably wait at the living room dear." She turned to Emily and held her by the elbow, guiding her inside the house. "This might take long." With a blatant wink, she turned around and left the red head sitting on the couch, who was watching the older woman leave, with a rather dazed expression, Emily's mouth hanging slightly open as she tried to figure out what just happened the past minutes.

Weird was how she would like to call it.


	38. Pianos and Paintings

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 37

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_"__And, as if on cue, adding to the wonders of the 'mother and daughter bond' mystery, Gina shook her head gently, seeing the panic register in Naomi's already baffled eyes. "I'm fairly sure Emily has no idea yet." She supplied matter-of-factly. "Though I'm rather very well certain that, that girl loves you."_

**A/N:** Sorry for the long delay people. I had a hard time getting this one out. You'll know why as you read on, coz I don't wanna spoil anything. LOL I really hope you all like it. Thanks for the amazing comments! Please leave one if you could. ^^

Naomi fumbled with the tea cups she was carrying in her arms as she set them one by one on the kitchen table, patiently waiting for the kettle to boil, the cups religiously queued up in a straight line, as if the arrangement itself was of great importance or else it could bring about the next apocalypse once one of the cups got misaligned. She exhaled exasperatedly and dropped herself on one of the classy kitchen chairs, her arm instantly folding on top of the table as she rested her chin over it, her other hand starting to toy with one of the tea cups lazily, flicking it lightly from time to time for it to produce a sound, merely as a lame source of entertainment. Another weary breath loudly blown out and she turned the cup around this time, playing with the handle instead, her forefinger tracing the curvature indolently while she huffed out more loud, deep sighs along with it.

"Naomi." She jumped at the sound of her mother's voice, hissing "Jesus Christ." sharply under her breath in the process as her knee accidentally bumped against the corner of the table when she pushed back the chair in a haste, attempting to get up to her feet. The shrill scraping sound it made against the marbled floor pierced Gina's ears that her face quickly pulled up into a grimace. "No. Your mother."

"Ow." She winced in pain with shallow tears forming in her eyes, her nose scrunching up high while she frantically rubbed her offended knee with her warm palms to ease the painful throbbing in some way.

"The kettle's boiling." Gina walked past her and over the stove as she turned it off herself, spinning around right afterwards to face her daughter. "Would you like to tell me what that was all about?"

"What was what about?" The younger Campbell snapped back harsher than she had been meaning to, though it was merely because of her still aching knee bothering her, on which she continuously rubbed in the same soothing manner.

"Naomi." The older woman called out in a motherly tone, eyeing her daughter with a look that was torn between amusement and reproach. "Love, do me a favor."

"What?"

"Just drop the act, will you?"

"Act?" The younger blonde's eyebrow rose into an arch, shooting even higher as she watched her mother nod with enough conviction. "What act?" She suddenly stopped on tending her now almost throb-free knee, her fingers falling into a frantic fidget instead. "There's n-no act. It's all true! I really had a dream!"

"Is that so?" Gina drawled out with a flippant tease hinted in her tone, not missing the sudden fretting of her daughter. She paused for a few beats and made a quick turn to reach for the teaspoons by the draining board. "Hun, you do know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"I think we should concentrate on making great tea Mum." Naomi pointed towards the kettle's direction instead as she tried to sway the topic off onto a different direction, surreptitiously praying that her mother would just get the hint and drop the entire conversation off. "Emily loves your tea. Adores it actually." Though hearing the creaking of the cupboards and the fridge door, along with discontented sighs in it, instead of a straightforward response from her Mum pretty much confirmed her gut feeling that Gina wasn't going to let her off the hook that easy.

She wondered if it had always been a part of the 'mother thing', where mums just go all bloody quiet when their children gave a rather vague response to a question they knew very well that had a much deeper answer lying beneath it. And this abrupt quietness was bound to make daughters feel guilty, which would lead them into spilling things out in the end. "Really Mum, it's just-- I'm just tired, that's all." The splattering sound of the water coming from the tap, eventually hitting the metal sink, was the only reply she got. "Christ." She screwed her eyes shut and ran her palm along the smoothness of her face, scrunching it altogether before heaving a loud resigned sigh, puffing it all out to blow on her scattered fringe.

Why her mother was bloody good at this guilt trip thing, she'd never know.

"Mum." She softly called out, wavering.

Gina slowly spun around on her heels, with teaspoons, tea bags and a carton of milk in hand, placing them down on the table carefully. "Yes love?" She murmured with a small smile that seemed more of a triumphant smirk to Naomi.

The younger blonde hesitated for a few moments, catching her bottom lip in between her teeth while she fidgeted uncomfortably on her seat, her mind suddenly engaged in an internal battle, whether to actually tell the truth or just keep it to herself. But upon seeing the expectant yet comforting look in her mother's eyes, she just gave in instantly, because there was something oddly assuasive in them, something that was telling her to trust Gina, as if it was the best thing to do particularly at that moment. She swallowed hard to clear her throat, pushing back the remaining doubts she had in her chest. "How do you--"

"Go on." The older woman encouraged as she watched her daughter hold back for about a beat, placing a hand on top of hers and squeezing it tightly, in a loving manner, somehow reassuring Naomi that _it_ was going to be fine, whatever it was.

"How do you exactly know if you're, you know," Naomi fell into a short pause, her shoulders hunching into a small shrug. "I mean, if you love somebody?" She carried on after another deep swallow, though sounding off key in some way, her eyes squinting a little bit merely out of shyness since she had never ever envisioned herself to be asking about these kinds of things one day. "Effy's asking." She blurted out quickly, like she was elucidating that it didn't have anything to do with her, when, if truth be told, everything was actually revolving around her. Call it saving face or whatever, but she badly needed it, some of her old self back to remind her one way or another that she was still in control of things, of herself more importantly. There were just too many changes happening, all of them occurring almost at the same time that she genuinely felt like she didn't know herself anymore, couldn't put a grasp on the whole thing.

A warm, knowing smile fell on Gina's lips. "I thought Effy loved Freddie?" She asked in a slightly amused tone, slipping in on the kitchen chair beside her daughter after having felt that this was going to be a rather long talk.

"Well, yeah." The younger blonde drawled out, wondering a little to herself how she managed not to flinch while her mother blatantly spilled out the remark, when normally, she probably would have. Though maybe, she already knew the exact reason why but was just too damn afraid to acknowledge it. "But, you know, she could always meet someone else."

"I take it Effy's confused then?"

"Yeah, kinda like that." She shrugged. "She can't figure things out."

Gina pressed her lips together as she watched her daughter play with her fingers, Naomi's eyes refusing to meet hers, as if Naomi was scared that she'd be able to see through them. It was by then had she confirmed that this wasn't about Effy at all, unlike her daughter had claimed it to be. "Maybe I should give her a call." She spoke only after a few beats, her tone suggestive and rather motherly, masking the amusement in it, because Naomi had always been like this, afraid of admitting things that she had to make up ridiculous and often funny excuses just to cover up for it. The 'dream' alibi was one perfect example.

"Jesus, Mum." Naomi hissed lowly, rolling her eyes in the process. "It's embarrassing enough as it is that we're talking about Effy's life without her knowing it." She twisted around, getting a better look at her mother and throwing a good-natured glare to vindicate her point. "We're like bloody gossipers or something."

A light chuckle broke forth Gina's throat, her head slightly shaking as she laughed. "Effy," Naomi didn't miss the different tone her mother had put on the name, like she was actually implying something. "Is still sorting her feelings out."

"Probably. Yes, I think."

"And she's asking you for signs that could help her."

"Mhm." The younger blonde pressed her lips in a thin line while nodding in the process, watching her Mum from under her lids.

"Well, tell her that there's really no exact sign for it."

Naomi's expression turned further more confused, her forehead furrowing into several layers of creases. "What do you mean there's no exact sign Mum?"

"It's different for everybody." Gina answered casually and leaned her elbow against the top of the table, her open palm catching her chin as she gently dropped it.

"But how did you figure out that you love Dad then?"

"Hmm, let me see." The older woman tilted her head slightly as she fell deep into her own thoughts, like she was traveling back in time while she recalled, her eyes squinting a tad bit. "I feel happy whenever I'm with him." She spoke after a few beats, with a fond smile shaping on her lips. "Like a different kind of happy. Something I've never felt with anybody else before."

"It's that simple?"

"For me, it was, or at least I made it to be. You know I hate complexities."

"What about the complications? I-- I mean the problems bound to come up?"

"Love, you don't think of them as problems. You take them as a challenge instead." Gina answered with a rather encouraging tone. "Something you and Emily will have to work out. Together." She uttered the last word with such weight and emphasis that Naomi could feel her stomach dropping on its very pit upon hearing it, the bile suddenly rising up, feeling like acid as it left a burning trail at the back of her throat.

Together.

The word rung loudly on her ears, like millions of buzzing bees, and it was making her head spin.

Naomi's whole form immediately turned stiff as she realized what her mother had said, her mouth instantaneously opening to voice out an objection. "Mum I told--"

"Naomi." The older woman interjected, cutting her off completely. "I maybe old but I'm not blind. Not stupid either." A light chuckle escaped from her lips as she watched Naomi's face turn extremely pale at once, even paler than she already was, almost stark white. "Besides, you may think that I don't know you at all, but I do."

Busted.

Naomi screwed her eyes shut and let her fingers pinch the bridge of her nose, sliding them up to her forehead afterwards to have a finger or two run along the whole length of it in a comforting way. She could swear that her mother had this amazing power to read minds, like she's bloody psychic or something. Or maybe, maybe--

Maybe she was just that obvious.

She gasped in horror at her abrupt realization, her eyes looking up in an instant and immediately searching for Gina's own to seek some solace in them, some form of assurance that could tell her that she was wrong, that what she was thinking was rather impossible, however little the chances of it maybe.

And, as if on cue, adding to the wonders of the 'mother and daughter bond' mystery, Gina shook her head gently, seeing the panic register in Naomi's already baffled eyes. "I'm fairly sure Emily has no idea yet." She supplied matter-of-factly. "Though I'm rather very well certain that, that girl loves you."

"Really?" Naomi asked breathlessly, the word almost coming out as mere air.

"Yes." The older woman bobbed her head in firm agreement, smiling widely. "Do you know that every time you move, Emily moves too?"

The younger blonde shook her head slightly, eyeing Gina with a puzzled look. "I'm not sure I get what you mean Mum."

"Every time you move, like taking a step for instance, Emily would do the same. It's as if, subconsciously, she's feeling this need to be close to you as much as she can. Like magnets Naomi. You're pulling each other close."

"Mum, that's just ridiculous." Naomi brushed off with an added scoff, though her heart was already turning over in her chest at the new found information.

"Maybe." Gina shrugged. "But it's what I'm seeing."

"Please don't tell me I'm doing the same?"

"No." The older woman replied as she shook her head. "You're doing something rather different."

"Really?" Naomi blurted out in disbelief, her eyes growing wide with surprise. "What then?"

Gina unknotted her hands from being encircled around her daughter's shoulder, her fingers brushing Naomi's fringe away from her eyes. "Your eyes are the most expressive part of your body, love. Your body maybe doing a whole lot of things, but your eyes says otherwise."

"And?"

"And whenever you look at Emily, you're like a blind man seeing the beauty of the world for the first time." She smiled warmly as she watched the faint blush on her daughter's face heighten, the bright pink taint turning hastily into red. "You're so drawn to it that you can't bear to take your eyes off."

"I do--"

"Hey." Emily cried out from nowhere, catching both Gina and Naomi's attention, her voice nearly making them jump. "Can I disturb you guys for a minute?" She asked sheepishly, walking in on the kitchen with deliberate steps, her hands clasped together as she moved forwards.

"Sure dear." Gina answered cheerfully. "You need something?"

"I was just going to borrow Naomi's phone. Katie called and mine died while we were talking. I just need to call her back so she won't think that I hung up on her or something."

"Oh, alright." Naomi replied as she fished her mobile from her pocket, handing it to the red head afterwards. "Here."

Emily took the phone and offered a warm beam in return, murmuring a soft "Thank you Nai-Nai." first before spinning around on her heels to head back to the living room, leaving Gina and her daughter by themselves once more.

Naomi's eyes were trained at Emily's retreating form, her gaze averting only when the red head had gone completely out of her sight. She scowled upon turning to her mother, seeing the somewhat teasing expression on her face. "What?"

"That." Gina pointed out, with a tone so full of conviction. "That is what I am talking about."

"Oh please." Naomi rolled her eyes. "Mum, clearly you can see I'm not blind."

"It's a metaphor love, in case you don't know." The older woman replied with a light chuckle. "Besides, I don't think the problem is figuring things out."

"What's the problem then?"

"It's admitting them."

***

Naomi hesitatingly stepped inside the living room after having been practically thrown out of the kitchen by her ever loving mother, regardless of the loud protests she had made, not even when she enthusiastically volunteered on helping her make tea the second time around, given that the first ones had turned rather cold. Stopping by the doorway, she roamed her eyes around, scanning the whole room for Emily and eventually spotting her hovering by the line of paintings hung up on the wall, deeply engrossed on Naomi's own personal favorite artwork to be exact, the red head completely oblivious to her presence and lingering gaze. She folded her hands over her chest and propped her shoulders against the doorframe, leaning comfortably on it while she continued to watch Emily staring at the particular painting, with an incognizant warm smile in her lips as she recognized the expression of deep awe gracing Emily's face, Emily's lips twitching up into an impressed smile, like she had just seen the painting for the first time ever, when, in fact, she had seen it countless times already. "Mum's making another set of tea, first ones got cold." She couldn't help but call out, clearing her throat in the process to finally make her presence known. "You like it then?"

"Oh, alright." Emily answered without looking, her gaze fixed intently on the painting. "Yeah, I like it. It's amazingly beautiful." She muttered out in a hushed tone, quite resembling something akin to deep admiration. "She really looked like you." She lifted her forefinger and pointed at the little girl sitting by the piano, chancing a glance at Naomi as she spoke. "Your dad is seriously amazing."

The corner of Naomi's lips curled up into a bigger smile. "I take it Mum has already told you about that painting." She dislodged herself away from the doorframe and walked towards Emily, standing beside the red head to study the painting as well, even though she had probably memorized every single stroke it bore, having to look at it practically every day back when she still was living at her mother's house.

"She did." Emily's answering smile was so radiant that Naomi could feel herself melting under it, her heart clenching tight beneath her chest (in a rather good way), the sudden wobbling of her knees making it difficult for her to stay upright.

"Well, that's not a surprise." The blonde mouthed breathlessly with a contagious light chuckle coming out of her lips, on which Emily had effortlessly joined.

It was then when the laughter had died down that Naomi could feel the tension building up around them again, instantaneously filling the room with thick, stale air. She turned and met Emily's eyes, the questions lying beneath them she could almost read, questions that she was bound to face any moment, entirely inevitable.

"Naomi--"

"Can we not talk about it now?" It wasn't running away at all. She just wasn't ready to answer any of the questions Emily had in mind yet, not when she hadn't even figured out the answers to the questions she had formed on her own.

Emily, being herself as always, nodded in understanding, backing away for a few steps to give Naomi some room upon realizing how close they were stood together, like she was invading Naomi's personal space or something. "Yeah, sure." She murmured in that husky voice of hers, her tone wavering.

"Thanks." Naomi soundlessly mouthed as she pressed her lips together.

The red head offered a tight smile before turning around to sit back on the couch, her eyes spotting the grand black piano lying at the far corner of the room while she spun on her heels. She quickly stopped on her steps and stared at the piano with wide, surprised eyes, her gaze flickering fast between the painting she had been looking at a while ago and the musical instrument that had caught her attention just now. She hadn't noticed the piano there before, or maybe, she just wasn't paying that much attention. Nevertheless, it was there. She quickly spun around once again, looking at the blonde standing behind her. "Is that--"

"Yeah." Naomi nodded in confirmation, seeing the quizzical look on Emily's face.

"Oh wow." The red head gasped in what seemed to be like a mix of shock and excitement, scrambling onto her feet at once as she hurriedly walked to the grand piano, almost hurling herself towards it, her fingertips running along the keys ever so lightly as if they were going to break into pieces under her touch. "This is just so cool." She pressed one key gently and giggled at the sound it made, pressing the key next to it afterwards to see how different it sounded from the other, pressing another one again until she had pressed all the other keys while making weird and funny noises that sounded of amusement, discovery and astonishment.

"Haven't you seen a piano before?" Naomi cried out in disbelief as she continuously watched what the red head was doing.

"I had." Emily peered over her shoulder, fingers still running along the keys. "But, you know, I never got to play."

"You call that playing?" The blonde retorted with a scoff, eyeing Emily with an incredulous look.

"No." Emily answered back. "But at least it's something close to it."

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Not even close." She uncrossed her arms and dropped it to her sides as she walked towards the red head, stopping a few inches away behind her. "That's just random pressing you know. Like you're going trigger happy with the piano."

Emily poked her tongue out at the blonde. "Teach me then, if you're so great." She retorted as she dropped herself on the seat, goading Naomi in the process.

"I don't want to." Naomi shook her head vehemently. "It's a waste since you won't even learn. Remember the last time?" She added with a sneer, teeth bare and all.

"That was how to ride a bike." The red head answered back, her eyes squinting at Naomi. "And I wasn't interested in it."

"What's the difference?" The blonde exclaimed, her shoulders hunching high. "Point is, _it_ is still teaching you. It'll take a miracle"

Emily stayed in silence for a few beats, staring at Naomi incredulously with a tad bit of antipathy dancing in her eyes, her lips quivering with utter annoyance. "You're just not capable of teaching me." She hissed sharply and stuck her tongue out once again before returning her attention back to the piano, pressing the keys heavily this time, merely to piss the blonde off with the unharmonious sounds starting to fill the room. "Admit it."

"What?" Naomi blurted out. "I could _so_ teach you." She dropped herself by the piano seat as well, right beside Emily, her hands instantaneously reaching for the keys, fingers falling in their exact places in an instant. "You want to learn? Do this then." She spoke rather provocatively, chancing a look at the red head with her lips curled up into a smirk. She started pressing the keys, tentative at first, her once stiff fingers relaxing later on as she continued to play, fingers smoothly gliding along the keyboard until she was able to create a simple melody, which somehow sounded quite familiar to Emily's ears, and rather beautiful as much as the red head hated to admit it.

"You're meant to teach me the basics Nai-Nai." Emily interrupted with a scowl as she placed a hand over Naomi's, eventually stopping the blonde from pressing the keys.

"Basic." Naomi snorted out loud, her eyes rolling. "That's for babies."

"Alright then, have it your way." The red head withdrew her hand quickly and folded it along with the other above her chest, her head turning on the direction opposite Naomi's, pouting so much that her bottom lip was sticking out.

Naomi let out a small laugh at the sight before nudging Emily's shoulder with her own. "I was kidding Em."

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

Emily snapped her head back and squinted her eyes. "Try me."

"Oooh, scary."

"Christ. You're unbelievable." The red head huffed out in quick breaths as she sprung up onto her feet at once, turning her back completely at the blonde to storm out of the room.

Naomi, on the other hand, was quick enough to catch Emily by her wrist before she could even get away that far, pulling the red head back to the piano seat straight away. "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

"Outside." Emily replied sternly. "You don't want me in here anyway."

"What? No, it wasn't like that."

"Looks to me that it was."

"Em." Naomi called out in a wavering tone. "You know I was just kidding right?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"I was." She murmured, slipping two fingers beneath Emily's chin, returning the red head's gaze back to her when she turned her head away. "Look, I'll teach you okay? I mean, seriously this time."

"Never mind." Emily huffed out with a hard tone and an added scowl, refusing to give in even though Naomi's touch was already making her skin tingle.

"Em. I'm really sorry."

The red head tried to pull away, even wriggling her head in the process, but Naomi's grip on her was just that tight. She pressed her lips together and squared her shoulders, her arms folding above her chest.

"I'm sorry yeah?" Naomi smiled apologetically when she didn't receive any form of reply, planting a light kiss at the tip of Emily's nose afterwards, which, as she had hoped, brought a small smile to Emily's lips. "I can't resist being a twat sometimes."

"I think it's natural." Emily quipped and unfolded her arms, raising one to brush the fringe away from Naomi's eyes. "Play for me, will you?"

The blonde gently relinquished her hold on Emily's chin and dragged her hand back to the keyboard, her eyes softening at the sight of the red head's hopeful face that an incognizant warm smile fell on her lips. "Sure. What do you want?"

"Anything."

"Right then." Naomi turned her head and took a deep breath, her eyes glued to the piano keys, which, for some reason, seemed to be glistening under her gaze, while she thought of the perfect song to play. One particular song popped in her head and she smiled instantaneously, more to herself, upon thinking of it. Another glance at Emily and she started playing, pressing the keys with ease, as if she had never stopped playing the piano in years, when, if truth be told, she had.

"When the rain is blowing in your face and the whole world is on your case." She smiled as she felt Emily slowly inching closer to her, their shoulders almost touching. She loved this proximity, this closeness to Emily and she realized, as the red head drew near and her scent started swimming in her head, she'd never want to lose it. "I could offer you a warm embrace to make you feel my love." She took a glimpse of Emily's reaction, almost falling off her seat when she saw the way the red head was looking at her, so full of adoration and awe, Emily's eyes sparkling with something deeply akin to--

Love.

"When the evening shadows and the stars appear, and there is no one there to dry your tears. I could hold you for a million years to make you feel my love." She could feel her heart turning over in her chest when she saw Emily's eyes soften, almost welling up and staring back at her ever so lovingly that a burning desire to kiss the tears away suddenly rushed through her, completely taking over.

"_Like a blind man seeing the beauty of the world for the first time."_

She found herself gazing back at Emily with the same exact emotions mirrored in her eyes, and she stopped playing altogether, her hands leaving the piano keys to let them touch something instead, something of far greater importance.

The need was so strong that it was nearly killing her.

As her hands recoiled away from the piano keys, it oddly felt like she was letting go of the past, like she was letting go of the blame she had forcefully placed on herself for almost half of her entire life. She suddenly dropped her defenses down, without any second thoughts, and stopped pushing people away. The walls she had built around her were crumbling into pieces before her, but she had never been glad to see them fall, if it meant that she was finally letting Emily in. Or maybe Emily had already managed to chip her way in, she was just looking at somewhere or somebody else that she had failed to notice it.

Their lips met in a slow, sweet kiss and as Naomi closed her eyes, she could see her father smiling at her, could even hear him saying "Finally." in his usual tone, something she used to vaguely remember, but could clearly hear at this very moment.

On the living room threshold, Gina quietly stood by, with her hands over her chest, a wide smile gracing her features before she turned around to leave Naomi and Emily on their own. "Finally."

***

"Thank you." Gina pulled Emily into a tight hug once the red head had bade her good bye, soon after her daughter had darted out of the front door, straight to her car.

"For what?" The red head asked curiously, her forehead crumpling.

"Everything." The older woman answered with a wide beam, her eyes tearing up a little as Emily had noticed.

The red head opened her mouth to ask further but Naomi broke her off by calling out her name. "Em come on, it's getting late."

Gina pulled away and nodded at Emily, leading her towards the doorway. "She's right. You better go."

"Okay then." The red head answered with a smile. "See you soon."

***

"I think tonight should be a movie night."

"Movie night?"

Emily tore her gaze away from the car window and faced the blonde seated by the driver's side. "Yeah, we should go watch a movie or two."

Naomi twisted around after she had brought the car to a complete stop, in accordance with the traffic light turning red before them, her brow quirking for about half a beat. "You mean, like, with popcorns and stuff?"

"Mhm." The red head nodded in confirmation, her head bobbing up and down a little too animatedly, with excitement, no doubt, and a matching huge grin.

"But I don't--"

"Please Nai-Nai?" She clasped her hands together, a loud thud echoing in the car at the contact, as she begged the blonde to agree, her eyes turning into an adorable squint out of pure pleading. "Pretty please?"

Naomi rolled her eyes as she shook her head, letting out an amused small chuckle in the process, her breath puffed out noisily as she returned her attention back to the road ahead. She lifted her feet and let her toes gently step on the gas pedal, because she could feel her nerves losing it just with the way Emily's looking at her at that particular moment, with wide, pleading eyes, twitching lips and a warm smile, and if she wasn't careful about it, she'd probably send her car flying down the road.

"Nai-Nai, come on."

"Alright, alright." She hissed sharply as she threw sideway glares to the red head. "Just stop bouncing on your seat yeah?"

A small squeal escaped from deep within Emily's throat as she threw her hands up in the air, shrieking "Yes." together with it, her seatbelt unbuckled afterwards so that she could rise from her seat, planting a soft kiss on Naomi's cheek without fair warning once the car had skidded into another stop. "Thank you." She smiled genuinely when Naomi turned her gaze to her, with surprise dancing in Naomi's eyes, Emily's head dipping in to rub their noses together. Once, and it turned twice, even thrice, until she just couldn't help but plant a kiss to Naomi's perfectly shaped nose.

The corner of Naomi's lips curled up into a rather pleased smile while she gazed at Emily's eyes, getting insanely lost in them eventually, like she had been transported to some place else, where reality didn't even exist, an alternate universe or something and it was just the two of them, her and Emily. She found herself slowly inching closer, aiming to capture Emily's lips, the strong urge to kiss her completely taking over her, that her hand had recoiled from the steering wheel just to brush her fingers along the smoothness of Emily's warm, blushing cheeks, her fingertips leaving ghostly touches but still made Emily's skin tingle nevertheless.

"Em." Naomi watched as Emily swallowed when she called her name, her eyes trained on Emily's throat as it moved, and back up to her pressed lips. "I want to, I want to--"

A loud, obnoxious honk suddenly erupted from behind them, waking them up from this dreamlike situation they had conjured out of nowhere, this, this-- whatever exactly it was that they were in. They both shuffled back to their seats quickly, their gazes avoiding each other, though they'd often catch one another's eyes by the reflections on the rear view mirror. And the same smile would fall on their lips, brought about by a huge mix of various unexplainable emotions, which would free the fluttering butterflies within their stomach.

Naomi had managed to develop a strong revulsion against BMW cars and a rather great liking for movie nights within such a short span of time.

***

"Butterfingers!" Emily exclaimed out of excitement, bouncing on her heels while she continuously unwrapped the small package she found sitting by their mail box, mainly addressed to her from her Los Angeles based Dad. She tossed the plastic of DVDs they had borrowed from the video store onto the coffee table as she dropped herself on the couch, her nimble fingers finally tearing the last piece of packaging tape away, squealing again when she had successfully yanked out one chocolate bar from the entire box.

"Eeeew, peanut butter." Naomi cried out from the doorway, tossing her keys to the table near the front door first before walking towards a now nibbling Emily. "Disgusting."

"What are you talking about?" Emily replied after swallowing the huge piece she had managed to bite off from the whole bar. "Butterfingers is, like, the most delicious chocolate bar ever."

"Right." The blonde drawled out with a snort, throwing the other girl a skeptical look. "You have a very odd taste in food."

"Odd?"

"Yep." Naomi answered, popping the 'p' in the end. "First, honey and marmite, and now, peanut butter."

"It's yummy." Emily stretched her hand out and offered the blonde a bite, rolling her eyes when she saw Naomi make a face. "You should try it."

"Think I'm gonna pass." The blonde replied while she shrugged out of her coat, tossing it on the couch afterwards.

"Popcorn and soda then?" The red head asked after a few beats, her words coming out muffled as she was still busily munching on her Butterfingers bar.

"Sounds good." A light chuckle broke forth Naomi's lips as she watched Emily happily springing up to her feet, skipping while she headed to the kitchen to prepare the snacks, like she'd been having a sugar rush already when she had managed to munch up only one bar.

Too much _sweetness_, Naomi thought, yet she wasn't entirely sure if she was actually referring to the chocolate bar at all.

***

Emily emerged from the kitchen with a huge bowl and two cans of soda in hand, her second bar of Butterfingers caught in between her teeth, a few strands of hair escaping from her messy bun and if it wasn't the most adorable thing Naomi had ever seen, The Oxford English Dictionary might have to change the entire definition of the word.

"So what are we watching?" She decided to ask, noticing that she had probably been ogling at Emily the whole time she was walking towards the living room.

"It's a surprise." Emily answered with a rather mysterious smirk gracing her lips. After placing the bowl of popcorn and the soda cans on top of the coffee table, she rummaged through the bunch of DVDs they had borrowed, smiling to herself the moment she had found the movie she was looking for. She turned around, bending before the DVD player to put the movie in, feeling the tip of her ears suddenly burn hot, like it had been thrown on a fit of flames, which was somewhat an uncanny sign of someone looking at her, no, not looking--

Staring.

She peered over her shoulder, almost at breakneck speed that it was a surprise her neck didn't snap, and bit her bottom lip when she caught Naomi indeed staring, with wide eyes, who, once she had realized, quickly averted her gaze to somewhere else, though the faint blush fast spreading across her cheeks pretty much gave her away. "Are you staring at my arse?" She bantered, smirking in the process.

Naomi snorted out a loud scoff, which sounded like feigned in some way, rolling her eyes as pretty much expected. "Like you have one."

"Oi!" Emily poked her tongue out at the blonde. "I caught you yeah?"

"Whatever."

The red head grabbed the remote as she headed back to the couch, still giggling, much to Naomi's annoyance, sitting next to the blonde with a good few inches away, even though she hated the distance, if truth be told. She held the remote, hit on play and leaned her back comfortably against the rest, preparing herself to catch the line which had led her into watching the movie in the first place. The opening credits rolled and everything had been good so far, as she was somehow worried that Naomi wouldn't like the movie, though the blonde seemed to be okay with it, until she heard her snort.

"Imagine me and you? What kind of movie is that?"

Emily rolled her eyes and ignored the remark, reaching forward for the bowlful of popcorn instead, munching on it as soon as she slumped back to her previous comfy position. She wedged the bowl in between them, so that they didn't have to pass it back and forth, which could be pretty tiring and somehow galling, and also, as a precaution because she could just feel the strong urge of kissing Naomi again, exactly like what she had felt in the car, and it was fucking embarrassing.

"_What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?"_

Emily's eyes widened as she heard the line she had been waiting for, shifting on her seat so that she was leaning towards the screen, eagerly expectant of whoever was going to answer the question, or rather, what the answer would be, because finally, she'd get to understand what Freddie had meant the last time they talked.

"I like this kid, she's genius." She heard Naomi speak from beside her, chuckling lightly as she pointed towards the screen.

"Yeah." Emily answered half heartedly, her thoughts focused on waiting for the damn answer to be delivered on screen.

"_It never happens. If there's a thing that can't be stopped, it's not possible for there to be something else which can't be moved, and vice versa. They can't both exist. You see, it's a trick question is the answer."_

"What?" She huffed out in a hushed tone, bringing her hand to run through her hair once she had heard the answer, because whatever it meant, it made things just more confusing to her, actually, it didn't made sense either.

"You alright?"

She flinched nervously at the sound of Naomi's voice, nodding in response as she offered a tight smile when she chanced a glance to the blonde. "Yeah." She muttered faintly. "I'm okay, why?"

A light shrug rolled out of Naomi's shoulders. "Nothing. You just seem to be very into the movie."

"It seems like a nice movie." She slumped back, her fingers digging on the bowl of popcorn instead, because the way Naomi was smiling playfully at her right now made her want to reach out and grab Naomi by the hem of her shirt, forget about the movie and do something else instead.

And she repeated in her head, fucking embarrassing.

***

Somewhere through the movie, when the leads turned to each other and stroked each other's faces lovingly, they realized that they were _actually_ sitting close together, the bowl of popcorn no longer wedged between them, but was stacked along the with the rest of the DVDs hired, the cans of soda and the box of Butterfingers on top of the coffee table. Suddenly becoming aware of the dangerous proximity, one had to scoot away because they were about a beat close into doing what exactly had happened on screen.

***

"_Tell me about the lily."_

"_You don't want to know about the lily."_

"What's so special about the lily?" Naomi blurted out, halfway through the movie, reaching for her can of soda standing by the coffee table.

Emily hunched her shoulders into a shrug in reply. "It's really pretty."

"_Lovely. Now tell me about the lily."_

"_The lily means--"_

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Aside from that?" She raised the can to her lips and took a series of sips, eyes glued on tv and preventing herself to scoff, because she was finding the two leads funny in some way.

"_The lily means, I dare you to love me."_

She suddenly snorted out the long sip of soda she took, the liquid coming out of her nose and mouth like the way garden sprinklers spat out water, eventually splattering all over her whole top and leaving her shirt soaking wet in the end. "Fuck's sake."

"Nai-Nai, are you okay?" She felt Emily rush to her side with a box of tissue in hand, Emily's hands all over her in an instant, wiping here and there, along her face and neck, and she could feel the hairs of her back and nape standing, as soon as she took notice of it, goosebumps surging through the whole length of her skin in a matter of a few seconds.

"Yeah." Naomi managed to huff out in between her coughs. "Yeah, I'm good." She placed the soda can on the floor and wiped her lips with the back of her hand, suddenly becoming all too aware of how close Emily was to her now, just a mere breath away, their noses almost touching. "Em." She swallowed hard, watching Emily's eyes as they followed the movement of her throat, the usual brown ones blending into something darker, almost black.

"Nai?"

"You're, uhm--" She drawled out, her gaze flickering between Emily's slightly parted lips and expectant eyes. "You're squeezing my thigh." She blurted out in a rush, wincing not long after upon realizing how embarrassing, not to mention, wrong it may have sounded.

Emily's blush spread like wild fire across her cheeks in a matter of seconds, the red head settling back to her own seat, this time maintaining a recognizable distance away from Naomi as she could feel her resolve slowly slipping away by each second, the tiny little bit of self control she'd managed to hold on to the whole day crumbling into pieces.

And Naomi, sitting beside her while wearing only a fucking tank top and jeans wasn't helping one bit.

Her raging teenage boy hormones were suddenly rushing into a frenzy that she felt the need to grab one of the cushions and squeeze it tight in her arms, her fingers clutching the sides to at least busy them with something else to be able to stop her from reaching because she was so near to the edge, just a little push and she'd lose it altogether. One quick simple glance to Naomi, who was clutching a cushion as well, as she had noticed, and Emily found herself tugging on the hem of the cushion with her mouth, her teeth sinking deep into the cloth while she tried not to close her eyes, not even a blink, because, Jesus, her mind had instantaneously jumped onto the idea of the silky fabric resembling Naomi's smooth skin, and she had to dig her nails further into the cushion just to stop her head from thinking other things. Her attention, obviously, was no longer at the movie but was somewhere else instead, a private movie she had started playing on her head. She could feel Naomi's glances at her, sometimes lingering, boring into her sides, but made no attempt to dare and glance back, because what was left of her self control was just a mere, thin thread. She could feel the tension thickening, turning very much palpable, so thick that she could almost taste it, a mix of vanilla and cherries, the very same taste of Naomi's lips. "Shit." She cursed under her breath as she started to feel an intense throbbing down below her torso, in between her legs to be exact, and she knew right then and there, that she had to get away.

She had to leave before she could lose it and regret everything later on.

"I, uhm-- I think I'm going to bed." Emily murmured, almost breathlessly, her throat running dry.

"Oh, right." Naomi replied in a hushed, yet surprised tone. "Sleepy?"

"Yeah." The red head wondered where she had managed to find the strength to nod, to feign a yawn even.

"I'm going to bed too then."

"Okay." Emily quickly tossed the cushion and got up to her feet, grabbing the remote by the side table to turn the DVD player and tv off. As she spun around, her foot got caught with the other and she accidentally bumped against the blonde, nearly falling on the floor only if Naomi didn't manage to catch her.

How she wished that Naomi could've just let her fall though.

The blonde caught her just in time, with Naomi's arms sliding around her waist quickly, encircling tightly to stop her from her impending fall. "You really are sleepy." She heard Naomi chuckle, but couldn't bring herself to join in, because, fuck it, Naomi's tank top had a low fucking line and she could clearly see Naomi's fucking cleavage. Why she chose to wear something as such that day, she had no idea. Emily was pretty sure her cheeks were blushing terribly right now, her face probably as red as her hair. She dragged her eyes up after a few beats, finally getting a hold of herself, well, miraculously, what with Naomi's breasts right in front of her face, blushing even further if it was possible upon seeing the smirk that had brought Naomi's lips curled up to the side, because she had just been caught staring, no ogling.

"You liked them?"

She quickly averted her gaze and wriggled her way out of Naomi's grip, running for the stairs as soon as she had managed to disentangle herself away from the blonde. She knew Naomi was following her but she daren't look back. Just as she had reached the stair landing and was only a few strides left away from her room, Naomi caught her by the wrist and spun her around without any warning at all, the blonde's lips crashing against hers in no time. Her mind had shut down on its own once she felt Naomi's lips moving along with hers, the softness and sweetness of it making her stop thinking about right and wrong altogether, and all she could think of was to kiss Naomi back, with all the strength and all the best that she could muster. A small whimper resonated from deep within her throat as she felt Naomi's fingers sinking by her hips, gripping her tighter, pulling her closer. She glided her arms up, tracing a burning path along Naomi's arms until she reached Naomi's shoulders, holding on it firmly because she could feel her knees weakening, wobbling terribly, as if all the strength from her body was slowly swirling down into the drain, not that she cared.

How they had found their way past the door and straight inside the bedroom without breaking the kiss, Emily had no idea.

As her back gently hit the bed with a soft thud, Naomi's arms guiding her to it, she felt the kiss turn slow and passionate, marked with intense emotions they both were feeling, of need, of want, of desire. Her hands mindlessly knotted around Naomi's neck, her fingers entangling themselves amongst the mass of soft blonde hair. She could feel Naomi's fingers running along her sides, tracing her curves all too lovingly, bringing about a sudden shudder which traveled straightly down to her spine. She tried to voice out a protest when Naomi left her lips, which ended up as a bunch of rubbish words strewn together because Naomi had started to shower kisses along the line of her jaw, the noise of her objection turning into something of approval later on, getting much louder when Naomi had started to nibble on her earlobe and trace kisses down to her neck, sucking on her pulse point that she was pretty sure would leave a purple bruise in there. And she couldn't help the smile that broke forth her lips because she felt like Naomi was branding her in some way, like she was Naomi's, really hers.

Naomi tugged on the hem of Emily's shirt and pulled it over her head in one quick sweep, her usually ocean clear blue eyes turning into something darker at the sight of Emily's almost nakedness. With a flick of her fingers, she unhooked Emily's bra at once, letting it fall on its own and slide along Emily's shoulders, her gaze following it while her tongue darted out and licked her drying lips. She pulled back slightly once the bra had been completely gotten rid of, her eyes taking all the beauty in before her, a small smile gracing her features when Emily made an effort to cover her breasts, Emily's cheeks blushing awfully. "Don't." She managed to whisper, her voice raspy and low, and the sound fell deep into Emily's stomach and in between her thighs, unsettling her completely. She gently yanked them away, stooping once again to capture Emily's lips into another feverish kiss. "You're beautiful."

She slowly slid down and sucked on Emily's pulse point again before letting her nose trace an invisible straight line, from there down to the valley of Emily's breasts, the pad of her thumb running along Emily's hardened bud over and over as she planted wet kisses on the trail she had managed to trace. She squeezed Emily's nipple gently in between her fingers and smiled when the red head's body arched under her touch.

She loved how she could have this certain effect on Emily, loved how Emily would writhe and squirm restlessly under her touch.

"Oh God." Emily huffed out when Naomi's wet lips took place of her fingers, kissing her nipple first before taking it in inside Naomi's mouth, her hot breath and skillful tongue incessantly swirling around the bud pushing her to the edge, driving her to insanity. "N-Naomi." She gasped and tipped her head up when the blonde shifted from one breast to the other, doing the same exact sweet torture she did, but this time, with Naomi's hand slowly sliding down past along her taut stomach and to her skirt covered thighs, nails lightly grazing against her already feverish skin. She could feel Naomi's hand under her skirt, tracing lazy patterns on the inside of her thigh that she couldn't help the low moan that escaped from her throat. She tried to form a coherent thought to blurt out amidst all this, because some part of her mind were formulating questions to ask, her efforts washed away in an instant as she felt Naomi's lips back on hers again.

She could feel Naomi's fingers toying with the waistband of her knickers, fingers slightly brushing against her still covered center and it was driving her mad already, leaving her craving for more. "Nai--"

"Say it." Naomi interjected, the feel of her lips against Emily's skin everywhere. She thumbed the waistband and slid her hand quickly, her fingers slip-sliding up and down along the wet slit erratically that it wasn't doing anything else but merely teasing the red head.

"Christ." Emily cried out, though breathlessly, like her lungs had suddenly run out of air just because of what Naomi was doing to her. "Fuck." She bit her bottom lip, her teeth falling on the same dents she had managed to mark her lip with earlier, though this time harder that she could almost taste the rusty flavor of blood.

Naomi shifted on the bed, so that she was propped on her elbows comfortably, her hand still inside Emily's knickers while she continued to nibble, suck, and lap along the whole length of Emily's neck, her earlobes, her jaw, just everywhere. "Say it." She whispered after blowing on Emily's ear, loving the sound the red head made once the hot air made contact with her already tingling skin.

"I-- Jesus." Emily's grip on Naomi's shoulders tightened when a digit entered her without any warning, her hips jerking up quickly, desperate for more contact.

"Say it Em." A low guttural moan escaped from her throat as she rubbed her thumb against Emily's clit, stroking gently, teasingly.

"I want you."

Naomi pulled out her hand and hovered over Emily, planting a kiss first on Emily's chest, where her heart was lying beneath, her own heart swelling ten folds when she felt it beating against her lips, fast and frantic. She began her descent down and thumbed Emily's knickers to finally get rid of it, her lips instantaneously trailing wet kisses on the inside of Emily's thigh as she parted her legs.

"Oh, Jesus." Emily's fingers found Naomi's hair and entangled themselves along the strands, her breath hitching as Naomi began doing wonders with her tongue, her fingers and her mouth.

"Keep your eyes open."

Emily tried to do so, but her lids felt so heavy that she just couldn't lift them up, like there were heavy anchors attached to each of it. "Nai-Nai." She tipped her head up and felt herself getting close, each and every nerve inside her body tingling with a thousand sensations running through her veins, pulsating wildly. She felt like she was being pulled into a hundred different directions all at once as Naomi's phase increased, and she had no idea where to go, where to focus. "Oh, _oh_." Naomi's fingers curled up inside her, hitting the perfect angle over and over that it pushed her over the edge, her hips bucking up as her orgasm hit her hard, shuddering along with it. "Naomi."

When Emily sighed her name, she felt like imploding at once, her heart swelling to its fullest degree, because her name had never sounded as beautiful as the way Emily said it.

Emily nearly voiced _it_ out when Naomi kissed her again, moaning hungrily as she tasted herself in Naomi's lips. Nearly said three words that may or may not ruin the moment. She didn't say it though, but just rolled them over so that she was on top, dipped her head in and started to deepen the kiss, because she was fairly sure, Naomi would know anyway.

-----------------------------------

It was my first time to write smut, (I don't even know if that's enough to be called smut lol) so please be nice. Haha.


	39. Red

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 38

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_"Should we--" Emily paused and bit her bottom lip, her eyes squinting as she let a shrug roll out from her shoulders, the next words she was planning to push out all left bundled in her mouth, dangling at the tip of her tongue, waiting to be spilled out. Only that, she had no idea how. Hell, she didn't even know if she should be asking questions at all, not with the awkward atmosphere suddenly looming around the room. "I mean, do you--"_

**A/N:** Apologies for the delay! Really sorry guys! Had to deal with my real life for a few days. . Anyways, I hope you like this one! If you have the time, please leave a comment/review.

She had woken up into a set of nimble fingers running along the smooth skin of her forehead, toying with the scattered, peroxide blonde strands of her fringe. Fingers moving so swift, but in such a comforting way that she felt like she'd fall back into another dreamless sleep in no time, the first time she had in years, could even fall asleep for an entire eternity with those soothing fingers around, with _her_ around. With a stifled yawn, she stirred on the bed and fluttered her eyes open, batting her lids slowly as she adjusted her vision from the sunlight suddenly flooding the whole room, bit by bit, squinting and widening her eyes alternately in the process, the beaming rays streaming past the curtains and spraying all over the bed.

"Sorry." A husky voice filled her ears, and she couldn't help the half-sleepy smile which broke forth of her lips, brought about by merely hearing it. "Did I wake you up?"

A low groan reverberated from deep within her throat, something she actually meant as a 'no' but sounded as an agreement instead, into which Emily murmured another "Sorry." for, inches away from her ear but wasn't exactly that far for her to feel the hot breath hit her sensitive skin, sending about another wave of relentless tingles that ran down past her spine, and she shuddered in the process, the tingling sensation settling straight away on the inside of her thighs and in between, unraveling her completely. She rolled onto her side, planting a kiss, almost ghostly, on Emily's neck while she nuzzled comfortably in it and closed her eyes again because she felt like she wasn't ready to wake up entirely, to leave this now indescribable yet secure bubble they had managed to conjure. Not ready to face the real world yet and the inevitable questions it had brought with it, something she'd confront later on and get bombarded with.

Just, not now.

Emily took it as a good sign nevertheless, Naomi's fingers running up and down her spine while lazily tracing erratic patterns as they went past the small of her back by chance, and the ghostly, yet wet, barely there kisses Naomi was planting on her neck as she created a trail out of them from the corner of her jaw and down, then back up again. Because, at the least, Naomi wasn't freaking out, or worse, running away, and as much vague and unclear as they could be, she'd rather take them than nothing at all. "Good morning." She whispered in a raspy tone after a few beats, inclining her head in an angle that allowed her to kiss the top of Naomi's hair without disentangling herself completely, the feel of Naomi's grip around her waist tightening that she almost couldn't breathe. It felt oddly good in some way though, this sudden lack of air in her lungs, for the reason behind it was not because she was hurting, but, rather, the other way around.

Naomi straightened herself out after finally pulling away, dragging her half-sleepy eyes up to meet Emily's, her one hand unknotting itself from the other as she raised it to brush Emily's sprawled fringe away from her eyes. She watched as the corner of the red head's lips twitched up into a sheepish smile, one mindlessly breaking forth her own, probably a mirror image of the one Emily was wearing. She let her hand drop, her palm running along the side of Emily's cheek, and felt her chest turnover as she watched Emily lean against her touch with closed eyes and a warm, fond smile.

"Nai?"

"Yeah?" She called back, voice low and raspy, and she could see Emily's throat working its way down as the red head swallowed hard, like Emily's throat had dried up all of a sudden, just by hearing the sound of her voice.

"Should we--" Emily paused and bit her bottom lip, her eyes squinting as she let a shrug roll out from her shoulders, the next words she was planning to push out all left bundled in her mouth, dangling at the tip of her tongue, waiting to be spilled out. Only that, she had no idea how. Hell, she didn't even know if she should be asking questions at all, not with the awkward atmosphere suddenly looming around the room. "I mean, do you--"

"First." Naomi quickly pressed her forefinger against Emily's lips to shush her, giving her just enough time to finish what she intended to say. "Before you ask anything, I just want to say that I'm not sorry about what happened last night." She added, the words said firmly that it took Emily by a complete surprise, had to pull back a little just to see if Naomi was being serious about it.

Emily's eyes widened for a brief moment, a mix of various emotions flashing in them that Naomi couldn't point out what exactly were those. "I'm not sorry about it either." She shook her head gently, her actions accompanied with a smile, the sudden confession giving her enough boost to finally push the words out, ask what she had been meaning to ask. "But what's next?" She followed after a few beats and a hard swallow, her tongue darting out to lick her drying lips and she could taste the stale, tensioned air. "What are _we_ going to be?"

"Honestly Em." Naomi wavered for about half a beat, hand hesitatingly reaching out for Emily's own, intertwining Emily's fingers with hers. "I really don't know." She lowered her head and fixed her gaze on their laced hands instead, avoiding Emily's eyes at all cost as if she was afraid to see something in them, something akin to disgust or hatred or just plain disappointment. "I'm just-- just confused as you are."

Emily wanted to protest, to shout that she wasn't anywhere near as confused as Naomi had thought. She was a hundred percent sure about her feelings, always had been, yet she seemed to have swallowed her tongue, couldn't find the right words to say, remained in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

"Em." Naomi slowly lifted her head up and eyed her with a look that was torn between worry and concern, squeezing her hand in the process, as if Naomi was inducing any form of response or reaction from her. "Hey."

Emily blinked, a few more times more than usual, like she was suddenly seeing something that once used to be invisible and hidden from her eyes, because the answer was lying right before her, just in front of her.

And it was now or never, the only chance she'd ever get.

"I want us to try." She managed to answer back after a good while, breathing shortly and rapidly as a result of her frantic beating heart.

"What?"

"I want us to try." She repeated, firmer and with enough conviction this time, holding her breath altogether as she carefully watched Naomi's reactions. "Try and be together." She swallowed hard, pushing back her heart that had seemed to have lodged itself in her throat, its deafening beats wildly reverberating in her ears. "For real, this time." She saw Naomi's face freeze for a moment, her skin turning paler than ever, like all the colors had suddenly drained out of it, and she stopped breathing entirely during that short span of time, deeply afraid of what Naomi would answer, although she was bracing herself for it somehow, for the impending rejection she could almost see coming. She watched, warily, as Naomi's forehead furrowed into what seemed like several layers of thick creases, the blonde looking rather engrossed in her own thoughts, though Naomi's gaze stayed with hers, and she could feel her heart ceasing to beat, time freezing, because she was drowning in pools of blue all of a sudden, the answer she had been agonizingly waiting for forgotten momentarily, like all that mattered was to get lost in those ocean clear blue eyes. "Please say yes." She murmured surreptitiously, so low and so soft that Naomi wasn't able to hear it. "Please."

"Call me babe and I'll kill you." Naomi mumbled after a few beats, breaking into a sheepish smile afterwards, much to Emily's relief, her cheeks turning from pale into red in an instant. "It reminds me of Cook. It's fucking disgusting." She rolled her eyes, shoulders shaking in the process with a cringe.

In a matter of seconds, Emily's lips curled up into a wide smile, her nose scrunching up altogether as what the answer had meant dawned on her. "I don't think you'll have a problem with that." She snorted a soft giggle and lifted her hand up to cup Naomi's face, letting the pad of her thumb run along the flushed skin, and she could feel her heart doing back flips underneath her chest when Naomi leaned against her touch.

It was a 'yes', Naomi's own, unique way of saying so, and Emily found herself actually half ecstatic and half terrified of it, because 'trying' meant a thousand possibilities, both good and bad, and endless 'what ifs' if ever it failed.

"Aren't you going to kiss me good morning?"

Emily more than gladly obliged, dipping her head to capture Naomi's lips into a searing kiss, her tongue gliding along Naomi's lip without any hesitation or holding back, just because, she can now.

It felt like an experiment, a huge risk that could fuck both of them up in the worst way possible, and Emily had to kiss Naomi deeply to remind herself why this was so fucking worth it.

***

There was an overwhelming sense of pride and something akin to ecstasy that surged through Naomi, out of nowhere, once her eyes caught sight of Emily.

She was on her way to the kitchen for breakfast, popping her head on the threshold first for a quick check with her eyes roaming around, and she smiled upon seeing the red head moving unreservedly in the kitchen, reaching here and there while she prepared the food, completely oblivious to her presence. She stepped inside quietly, more like stealthily actually, and crept behind the red head, stopping dead on her tracks when she noticed what Emily was wearing. An oversized shirt which she realized belonged to hers.

Emily was wearing her shirt with just a pair of bra and knickers lying underneath it.

It probably was the hottest thing Naomi had ever seen, an image that would remain etched in her mind for the longest time, burned in there like a scar. The way the sleeves would fall off Emily's shoulders, the shirt defining Emily's curves even though it was oversized and was meant to be fucking big. Hotter than any other model that would sport the same clothes, _her_ clothes. And it was so fucking overwhelming at the same time, with an odd satisfying feeling settling in her, somewhere deep within the pit of her stomach that made her want to throw up, though for a totally good reason, probably out of euphoria or something deeply akin to it, and she had to swallow hard, _again_.

Emily in _her_ shirt felt like branding in some way, where she could finally call Emily "Mine." without the hassles and awkwardness of it.

"Hey." She watched, with utter awe that she was pretty much sure of her mouth hanging wide open, wide enough for flies and any other sorts of insects to get in and out freely, when Emily spun around on her heels with a smile so fucking radiant that it almost caught her off guard, disarming her completely. "Breakfast will be ready in a few." Her slack jaw dropped on the floor altogether as her eyes raked up and down Emily's form, because Emily wasn't wearing a fucking bra, too lazy to put on one (not that she was complaining), Emily's already perked up nipples pushing their way out of the shirt.

Sweet torture.

"Jesus Christ."

"Nai-Nai, are you okay?"

"Why aren't you--" She paused, biting her lip in time just before she could spill out something utterly stupid, because, really, what she had in mind wasn't the most sensible thing to say. "I mean, what's for breakfast?"

Emily twisted around and Naomi had to fix her gaze onto somewhere else so her eyes wouldn't follow the perfect curvature of Emily's hips or she'd end up labeled as a hopeless pervert or something of the same kind.

Turned out, her eyes were as stubborn as her head was.

"Well." Emily turned back quickly, a smug smirk instantaneously gracing her features upon catching Naomi staring. "We've got-- are you sure it's breakfast that you want?" She bantered, her smirk falling into a soft giggle as she watched Naomi's cheeks taint bright red.

"Yeah." Naomi exclaimed, sounding rather defensive, tipping her head up in the process because seeing Emily looking this way was doing her head in. "What else?"

Emily's shoulders hunched up into a shrug. "I don't know." She mumbled, spinning on her heels again, and Naomi had to swallow hard for the umpteenth time that morning, because, Jesus, the shirt was just barely covering Emily's lower torso, the hem not even passing a quarter part of Emily's thighs, that the little shrug Emily had let out lifted the shirt and showed a peek of the red head's knickers.

The blonde quickly averted her gaze before she could do something she'd most likely be embarrassed later on, heading to the tap instead to fill herself a glass of water, icy cold if ever possible, anything to cool her down because she felt like she was burning inside all so suddenly, like her body was being set into a fit of blazing, invisible flames, searing, smoldering. She moved in such haste, her clouded head spinning into a sudden daze that she didn't notice Emily walking beside her, reaching for a mug by the cupboard. She spun around without warning and bumped into Emily in the end, her glass tipping from the impact which caused the water to spill, on Emily's shirt, of all fucking places.

Exactly the last thing she needed at this very particular moment.

"Shit." She heard the red head mutter before blanking out completely, and all she could do was to watch Emily throw her hands on her shirt, attempting to dry it with sheets of tissue paper she had managed to grab somewhere, with bits and pieces of "upstairs" and "change" barely passing her ears, but was enough for her to piece the entire sentence together. And there was no way she was going to let it happen, not now.

She found herself dropping the glass on the sink and pulling a now surprised Emily closer to her, a soft, needy moan resonating from deep within her throat as she felt Emily's body pressed up against hers. She wasted no time and leaned in at once, capturing Emily's lips in a feverish kiss, and she wondered for a second why she had to endure half an hour of sweet torture, when she could do this freely from now on, just because she can, she had a right to.

"Nai-Nai." Emily tried to mumble in between kisses, a half hearted attempt of protest, though her snaking hands, which wrapped around Naomi's neck instantaneously, pretty much belied her gripes.

"What?" Naomi answered still, smiling in the kiss as she heard a sharp gasp coming from Emily while her fingers purposely grazed their nails up and down the red head's exposed thighs.

"What. About. Breakfast." Emily tried to huff out, punctuating each word with a jagged intake of air, her breath hitching because Naomi had started to roam her hands around, digging Naomi's fingertips along her hips before dragging them up, slipping under the oversized shirt and just above Emily's taut stomach.

Naomi's answer was to lift Emily up, her hands dropping to cup the red head's arse while she let her wrap her legs around her waist, as she walked them towards the island counter, which fortunately was empty. She laid Emily down gently on the tiled surface, their lips never breaking apart even for a second while they moved together, hands caressing whole lengths of smooth skin. She pulled away, for a rather brief moment, just enough to tug on Emily's shirt and pull it over her head, because Emily's lips were so fucking addictive that Naomi could actually spend an eternity kissing them, each second she squandered away from it killing her.

"Naomi."

She heard Emily exhale a jagged breath as she blew on the spot that she had just finished marking, and later on found herself blowing out uneven breaths as well when Emily's fingers started to work on its own, tugging on shirts, unclasping bras and unbuttoning jeans so quickly until they were both almost naked, with her standing on the kitchen floor and Emily seated by the counter, their bodies covered in thin sheets of sweat and breakfast long forgotten.

Making love without holding back, just because they could, both of them having a right to.

***

Breakfast turned into lunch, or rather, brunch because Emily was just that insatiable, or at least that was Naomi's excuse, not actually admitting that she was too. She was the one who started it anyway, her teenage boy hormones kicking in all at once, and it so happened that Emily had the same raging hormones, ensuing a wild frenzy in the end.

Katie came over, and the first thing she noticed was the state of the kitchen. "God, why is it so messy in here? Like, some hurricane dropped by or something." She hovered by the threshold, eyes catching Naomi and Emily seated by the dining table, opposite each other, and her twin was blushing terribly, for some unknown reason. She stepped inside, lifting herself up by the island counter and Naomi had to suppress the laughter that bubbled up inside her at the comparison of who was sitting at the tiled surface before and who was occupying it now, images of a flushed, sweaty Emily smiling dreamily at her deluging her mind all at once, which made her reach for her glass of water in an instant because she could feel her body blazing into flames again.

"You alright Ems? You look flushed." Katie asked innocently, somewhat craning her neck to check up on her sister properly.

Emily choked on the food she was chewing, coughing in the process because she swallowed it accidentally, had to chug on a full glass of water just to push down the bits of food blocking her throat. "The fuck, Katie." She tried to cry out in between her coughs, balling her hand into a fist to pound her chest with it.

Seeing the red head's struggle, Naomi quickly rose to her seat with her own glass of water in hand, and she brought it to Emily's lips as soon as she reached her, her other free hand rubbing soothingly at Emily's back. "Okay?" She asked, anxious, while Emily slammed the glass on top of the table, breathing out a sigh of relief when the red head looked up to her and answered with a nod and a small smile.

"Yeah, thanks."

She could feel her heart somersaulting beneath her chest when Emily titled her head slightly to plant a soft kiss on her hand, one which was resting on Emily's shoulders, and she let her free fingers run along Emily's hair for a brief moment, while whispering "It's nothing." in her softest tone.

Katie had seen it, of fucking course.

"What's up with you two?"

Naomi could swear Katie had eyes for everything. "What?" She cried out, almost innocently, though obviously feigned, and Katie watched her, scrutinizing, as she went back and flumped down her seat.

"Nothing." The older twin hopped down the counter and sauntered her way to the chair right next to Emily, her gaze bouncing back and forth between her twin and Naomi as she sat down, purposely slow, eyes lingering at Emily because she had this God-given gift of blushing terribly when something was up, and with the way the younger twin was looking now, Katie had never been this sure that there was definitely something, and she was determined to find it out. "So Ems--"

"I'm thinking about having my car repainted." Naomi saved, breaking Katie off because she could see where the older twin was heading. "What do you guys think?" She swayed the topic off, surreptitiously praying that Katie would bite on it because as much as she hated the fact, Katie wasn't daft when it came to things like these, probably one of the things she was actually good at, extracting the truth out, aside from everything which concerned clothes and fashion of course. It was like Katie being a predator and Emily was her prey, because the younger twin was a much terrible liar compared to Naomi, feeding on the details she'd be able to squish out and Naomi could already see her life as a living hell the moment Katie would find out, which would lead to Cook blurting out insinuations and innuendos in the end. Because with Katie, there would always be a Cook.

Katie's head whipped towards Naomi's direction, eyes squinting skeptically as she looked at her. "You do know that I don't speak like, car and drive, yeah?"

"I was gonna ask about the color Katie." The blonde let out an exaggerated eye roll, in which Katie returned with a matching one, and for a second it looked like they were actually heading into an eye roll bout.

"Oh, right." The older twin averted her gaze and turned her head around, eyeing Emily with a quizzical look, whose head was still bent down and the tip of her ears were still bright red. "What color?"

"Probably red." Naomi kicked Emily in the shin to snap her out of it, encouraging her to join the conversation because Katie was just growing more suspicious with the way Emily was suddenly acting.

Like a wakeup call, Emily snapped her head up, eyes nervously flickering between Naomi and Katie as she opened her mouth to speak, words tumbling stupidly when she blurted them out. "Red? You mean _the _Ferrari red?"

"I think it's a nice color, but a bit dark." The older twin chanced a quick look at Naomi, not even lasting for more than a second, her gaze back at once to her sister.

Emily shifted uncomfortably on her seat and placed her fork down gently. "I thought you don't like _that_ red?" She asked, this time genuinely interested of what they were talking about, because she was wondering why Naomi had chosen red when she had always hated it. "You've always wanted your car to be colored uniquely right?"

"Not that red."

"A different shade then?" Katie butted in, eyes still wary.

"Yeah." Naomi nodded in agreement, stuffing her mouth with a forkful of lean meat before continuing. "Something brighter."

Katie didn't miss Naomi's quick glance at Emily's hair and that small smile her twin shared with the blonde, but decided to shut her mouth about it, since it would seem that she didn't even need to pry. Things were surfacing on their own.

***

Emily walked them to the front door, leaning against the frame as she waited patiently for Naomi to grab her keys while Katie ambled straight away to the car, head ducking low to check herself out on the tinted mirror and smiling in satisfaction upon seeing her reflection.

The thing about tinted car windows was, they could catch and reflect almost everything in their range, that even when someone hovering by the doorway would lean in and claim the other's lips, furtively as Katie would like to put it, the tinted windows would still be able to mirror it.

Furtively, but still caught red handed.

***

"Don't you just love tinted cars?"

Naomi averted her gaze from the road for a brief moment to chance a glance at Katie, her brow arching up as she wondered what the older twin was blabbing about this time. "Well, yeah. Kind of gives you some sense of privacy."

"Too right." Katie nodded, a bit too animatedly for Naomi's liking. "And, well, you know--" She purposely broke off, turning her head as a knowing smile shaped on her lips. "It's got awesome reflections, like, you can see two people kissing even if you aren't exactly looking."

Naomi snorted out loud at first, but as it dawned on her, what Katie had meant, her grip on the steering wheel tightened, so tight that she could almost feel her knuckles snapping in half. Her eyes grew so very wide, almost up to the point that they were bulging, her face suddenly turning stark white.

"Not that it's bad or anything." Katie brushed off with a shrug, returning her attention back to staring at the blurred streets past the windows.

Naomi was so close to believing that Katie was born with an extra set of eyes, or two, and it was hidden somewhere along the mass of red hair that covered her head.

***

Effy greeted them with a smile and an additional hug for Naomi, much to Katie's discomfort, surprisingly, for known and unknown reasons.

"You haven't been down here for quite a while." She heard Effy say, not that she was eavesdropping or whatever, it was just that loud. Alright, maybe she was, but, like she'd actually admit it. She sidestepped a little bit, shuffling closer to the two stealthily, her hands gliding along the lines of dresses and tops hanging on the racks, pretending to look at them while her ears were trained on the conversation. She was actually supposed to be looking for clothes that Naomi could try on, but she preferred listening, like there was a huge mystery to be unraveled before her.

"You look different today." Effy commented, when Naomi was experimenting with the first outfit.

The blonde's brow shot up, eyed Effy with a quizzical look. "Different?"

Effy merely let out a shrug. "Radiant." She mumbled, tilting her head to the side while her lips twitched up into a sly smile. "You're like fucking glowing or something."

"Don't be ridiculous Eff." Naomi rolled her eyes, even matched a snort with it. "Don't tell me, I've got a halo on top of my head."

"Not _that_ kind of radiant, you cow." Effy fell into a chuckle as she propped her shoulder against the wall, eyes never leaving Naomi's form. "You look like you're, I don't know, in love or something." She quipped, snorted it out even, her head tipping up as she let the laughter roll out of her throat.

Naomi forced out a small laugh, a bit off key and rather shaky, her eyes quickly searching for Katie because she could so much use any form of saving or distraction right now. Effy's stares were boring into her, unraveling her nerve by nerve that she could almost feel the weight of it sink in onto her skin, burning as it touched, blazing.

Effy's wavering smile disappeared altogether, her face turning into something serious and equally pained that Naomi couldn't even bare to look at her, straight. "Are you?"

"The fuck, Eff." The blonde blurted out and fought with her impulse to suddenly run and envelope Effy into a hug, because she had seen her wear that kind of expression once, when she became so jealous of some random girl that Freddie had brought home one time. "What kind of question is that?"

"You didn't answer it."

"Don't you think that's kind of private?" Naomi countered, looking all puzzled with Effy's sudden interest on her love life. "And really, Effy, here?"

Effy pondered with the thought for a moment, her forehead folding into a massive crease which later on, appeared to be a scowl. "Yeah, sorry about that."

A small comforting smile broke forth Naomi's lips. "S'okay." She turned around and walked towards Effy's direction, accepting the new set of clothes being handed to her.

"Been busy?" The brunette asked after a good while, once Naomi had stepped out of the changing room.

"Kind of." Naomi answered with a timid smile as she checked herself in the mirror, studied the outfit Effy had given her to try on. "Y'know, loads of things going on." She straightened up, smoothing the edges of the skirt and the top, and busied her eyes on the clothes instead, because she just couldn't stand the way Effy was looking at her right now, the emotions on Effy's electric blue eyes unreadable. It felt weird somehow, the way Effy stared, like she was more reserved and careful with her words and actions, which was rather very unlikely of her.

"Oh, right." The brunette hunched her shoulders into a shrug. "Let me guess, new deals? New commercials?" She paused, rather purposely, and pursed her lips first as her tongue darted out to lick it, a perfectly sculpted eyebrow arching up when she spoke. "New contracts?"

Naomi twisted around and looked at Effy quizzically, studied Effy's expression in fact, because she could swear that there was something lying beneath Effy's words, the hint of an accusing tone masked perfectly with a nonchalant one, and Effy's sudden change of expression before the straight face was back up. "Yeah, yeah. New deals _and_ contracts." She answered in a haze, only, after a few beats, which brought about another round of mixed expressions from the brunette, as she could see, Effy's stoic one faltering, but was all too quickly that Naomi didn't even have the time to decipher a single one, let alone, all.

"Wanna tell me about it?" Effy's brow rose higher, as if she was actually challenging Naomi to spill, if not everything, at least one thing. "Spare me some details. I haven't heard from you for a long time."

Naomi could see through it, through Effy's insinuating smirk, and she could tell that Effy was onto something, a particular thing she still couldn't put a finger onto. Her mind had started to go through the endless possibilities of what the brunette could be talking about, even had a few good choices about it, but she just couldn't bring herself to jump into conclusions because there were still chances that she could be wrong, that she could just be over reading things, overanalyzing Effy. "The usual." She answered instead, with a tentative shrug that appeared like a brush off in some way. "Commercials and photoshoots here and there."

Katie had a different feeling about it though.

She was halfway through walking towards Naomi, finally able to pick out an outfit of her taste which she wanted Naomi to wear, when Effy's words suddenly filled up the entire room. She stopped on her tracks and waited for more, hid behind a rack of clothes while she stared keenly at Effy, never been thankful of her height because it perfectly hid her from sight, her eyes trained on each and every expression that Effy was showing and was going to. Katie could read past it, past the insinuations, the knowing looks, expectant gazes, mysterious and sly smiles, and the way that Effy had worded her questions out. She could even hear the hint of accusation being masked with something else. Naomi might be probably too blind to see the signs, and she couldn't really blame her since she was friends with Effy right from the start, the fact somehow explaining why Naomi was just that trusting.

But Katie couldn't be fooled.

She came out from behind the rack and sauntered straight to Naomi, handing a pile of clothes for the blonde to try in the process and shooed her away to the changing room. She fished her Blackberry from her purse and smiled at Effy, which somehow seemed sarcastic and threatening at the same time, fiddled with the stylus for about half a beat before clearing her throat, a bit too sounded than usual. "Yeah, Naomi's in for a lot of stuff. We actually need to fly to, like, a hundred different places just to, you know, sign contracts."

"Oh. Is that so?"

"Katie's right." Naomi emerged from the changing room and planted herself in front of the mirror. "I don't even know-- I like this outfit Katie." She twisted around, offering an impressed and rather pleased smile to the older twin before continuing. "I mean, I don't even know where to go first."

Effy eyed Katie with a meaningful look which was rather intimidating, as if the brunette was telling her to just sod off because she wasn't part of the conversation at all. The older twin returned it with a determined look and folded her hands over her chest, because, clearly, she wasn't going to back off.

Katie had always seen Effy as a threat. And with the way the conversation had stirred, she had a sudden uncanny feeling to warn Emily and prepare for something she could feel coming their way, looming on the corner, just waiting for the right time.

***

"Hey, I've got two tickets for the The Prodigy concert tonight." Effy cried out, hand rising up as it rested on top of Naomi's shoulders, stopping the blonde completely from darting out to the shop door. "Do you want to come with me?"

Katie raised an eyebrow as she observed the exchange with watchful eyes, and she could see the way Effy's hand slowly slid down to Naomi's arm, fingertips circling around the wrist, almost flirtingly.

"I'm completely knackered Eff." Naomi grumbled with a small groan escaping from her throat. "I can barely stand."

"Alright." Effy breathed out a resigned sigh. "How about my place?"

"Can't too."

"Why not?"

Naomi took a deep breath and pressed her lips in a thin line, eyeing the brunette with an apologetic look. "Emily's waiting for me. We're kind of having dinner together."

Effy relinquished her hold on the blonde's arm ever so quickly, like it had suddenly burned her skin. "Oh, I see." She struggled to keep a straight face, fought hard to hide the impending scowl threatening to break loose. "Next time then."

"Sorry Eff."

In her silence, Katie saw it all. And it didn't take her that long to put the pieces together. The slight blush that spread like wild fire across Naomi's cheeks at the mention of "Emily" and "dinner", the obvious dodging of Effy's questions earlier, the reflection of the kiss on the tinted car window, why Naomi suddenly wanted her Ferrari to be painted bright red, of all colors.

"Come on Katie." She heard the blonde call and she dutifully followed, grinning stupidly because she was just so proud of herself for what she had mentally done. "Oh, by the way." She stopped all of a sudden, almost colliding with Naomi and she had to hold onto the blonde's shoulders for support when she sort of lost her balance and had to steady herself.

"What?" She asked without the mandatory roll of the eyes, which was a little bit surprising even for her. She was probably in such a good mood.

Naomi produced a couple of paper bags from behind her, and Katie wondered for a good while where those came from since she didn't even see the blonde holding one when they left Effy's shop. She eyed the paper bags quizzically, gaze flickering between them and Naomi. "What are these?"

"Maternity clothes." The blonde replied casually. "I saw you checking those out earlier."

Katie's eyes grew wide with surprise, her already slack jaw falling on the floor. "You bought these for me?"

"Sort off."

"Oh my God." She fumbled with the paper bags as she took it from Naomi's hands, bringing out one of the dresses and she nearly swooned over the car, had to steady herself again because the fucking prices were draining the life out of her. "Naomi--"

"I bought two colors for each style." The blonde interjected, sounding all casual, like they were talking about 100 pounds or less worth of clothes, and not 400 pound ones. "I wasn't sure what color you would actually like."

Katie remained silent for about a beat, considered the idea of throwing herself and hugging the life out of Naomi, though she figured it would probably be awkward since it was not their thing at all. So she settled for a simple, yet meaningful "Thank you." instead, and probably a lifetime of servitude out of gratefulness.

"It's nothing. Come on then."

She hopped inside the car, while Naomi took the driver's seat, and pondered on the recent things that had happened, with the blonde's out of the blue generosity adding up to the pile of evidences (how she'd like to call the signs she saw) that pretty much proved her conclusion about Naomi and Emily. A small smile pulled up at the corner of her lips, as she let her thoughts spin around, pushing the Effy mystery and everything related to it at the back of her mind, because there could only be much that her head could take in one day. She'd deal with it on another.

"So." She started the small talk, which she later on intended to turn into prying for more. "Bright red huh?"

Naomi tore her gaze away from the road ahead and chanced a puzzled look at the older twin, Katie's knowing smile pretty much telling her what she thought the older twin had meant. "Yep." She muttered, popping the 'p' loudly. "Bright red."


	40. Twin Bonding

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 39

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_She was down at the kitchen, juggling her attention between cooking breakfast, setting the table and kissing Naomi (wherein she spent most of her time concentrating on the latter because Naomi just wouldn't let her go, not that she was complaining about it; even burned a pancake or two because she left it a bit longer than it should have in the pan, completely forgetting to turn it over), when her phone buzzed from somewhere around, she wasn't sure where exactly._

**A/N:** Next chapter guys! Hope you all like this one! And sorry for the long wait. (I know I've been apologizing way too many times now. Lol. But, really, sorry!) Please leave a comment/review if you can/have the time. Thank you!

Twin bonding the next morning.

Emily received a text message from Katie, far too early, much to the younger twin's surprise, because Katie would normally oversleep during her off days. She was down at the kitchen, juggling her attention between cooking breakfast, setting the table and kissing Naomi (wherein she spent most of her time concentrating on the latter because Naomi just wouldn't let her go, not that she was complaining about it; even burned a pancake or two because she left it a bit longer than it should have in the pan, completely forgetting to turn it over), when her phone buzzed from somewhere around, she wasn't sure where exactly. It took her a long while before the thought of finding her phone crossed her mind, so she could read whatever message was sent, because Naomi kept on peppering her with feverish, teasing kisses that left her openly craving for more, and she only pulled away, reluctantly, when she heard her phone go off into incessant rings because Katie was that impatient for a reply.

"If that's Freddie, I swear--"

The corner of Emily's lips curled up into an amused smirk as she watched Naomi's face contort, pulling up into a grimace, deeply annoyed by the thought already. "It's Katie." She broke off, shushing Naomi with a light kiss, and she waved the still flashing screen before the blonde while biting on her bottom lip to stifle the grin threatening to break loose, as she saw relief quickly wash over Naomi's face. "Hang on a sec." She leaned in for another kiss before flipping her phone open, begrudgingly, and winced as Katie's shrill voice blasted out of the mobile that she had to pull the phone away from her ear.

"Is it too much of a bother for you to send a reply?"

"Christ." Naomi rolled her eyes because she could hear it as well, given that the call wasn't even set to loud speaker.

A light giggle erupted from Emily upon seeing Naomi's reaction and she let her fingers wander around Naomi's neck, playing with the loose strands of Naomi's hair, an attempt to calm her down. "Good Morning Katie." She replied, rather coolly and with a smile, though Katie couldn't see it. She was in such a good mood that even her hormonal twin couldn't ruin it for her, aside from the fact that she was used to this kind of greeting, because, well, it was Katie.

"Did you even read my message?"

"I was about to." She paused, rather purposely, to take a deep breath because Naomi was starting to create a trail of wet kisses along her jaw line, feeling Naomi's soft lips brush against her burning skin, gliding up from the empty space behind her ear and down to her chin. "And then you called." She had to work hard to keep her voice steady since it was starting to sound shaky and turning almost breathless, her words almost slurring into a moan.

"God, Emily--"

A small squeal escaped from her throat when Naomi pulled her closer without fair warning, her waist tightly gripped while Naomi's fingertips sunk deep in her hips.

The awkward and quite embarrassing sound broke Katie off. "Are you having sex?"

"Jesus! What?" Emily exclaimed all of a sudden, her cheeks hastily tainting red. "Of course not!" She glared at the blonde as she forcefully swatted away Naomi's hand which was starting to graze fingernails along her already exposed thigh. It was then when she realized that her oversized shirt, one which Naomi had insisted on her to wear, had already been bunched up, the hem loosely dangling along her hips. "Naomi." She mouthed soundlessly, throwing another glare at the blonde, which Naomi blatantly ignored and she continued on moving her fingers instead, the tips leaving ghostly touches that Emily had to lean her back against the kitchen counter for support because her knees were starting to turn into jelly, wobbling awfully and uncontrollably.

"Emily." Katie called out, her tone hinting an equal amount of rebuke and warning. "I know when one's--"

"What do you want Katie?" Emily broke off, _again_, sticking her tongue out at the blonde upon seeing the huge grin on Naomi's face disappear, being replaced by a scowl at once as she disentangled herself completely away from her, because Naomi's impending moves were going to drive her crazy, in a good way, although it really wasn't necessary for her sister to hear any of it, would actually even be revolting.

Katie breathed out a noisy sigh against the phone, one which Emily could almost feel hitting her skin, as she decided to drop her prying and chose to just let it go instead because certain images were starting to pop up in her head. The bile rose up in her throat, inducing a vomit, and Katie was perfectly certain that it didn't have anything to do with being hormonal and pregnant at all, neither morning sickness. "I was wondering if you wanna have coffee with me or something."

"You mean, now?" Emily asked, in clarification, her eyes glancing momentarily at Naomi who was fumbling with the coffee maker, the hot liquid accidentally burning Naomi's skin because she wasn't fucking looking at what she was doing, and she accidentally poured the coffee out of the mug since her eyes were trained at Emily's arched form.

"Well, yeah, or maybe, like, later because it seems that you're quite busy right now."

A loud cry and a fit of profanities erupted from Naomi's mouth, almost slurring the words with the rate of how fast she was speaking; and Emily had to rush to her side, setting aside her whole conversation with Katie momentarily with a mere "Hang on." mumbled to her sister before tossing her mobile on the empty, tiled counter, moving in such haste that she wasn't even able to process Katie's remark. "Nai-Nai--"

"I'll do this." Naomi seized the wet towel that Emily had managed to grab on her way, placing it quickly over the reddened, stinging spot. "Go talk to Katie." She smiled upon seeing the little scowl that had formed along the creases of Emily's forehead, smoothing it with the pad of her free thumb, and Emily couldn't help but lean in and plant a soft kiss on Naomi's lips-- well, that was what she originally planned, but it turned into something deeper and sloppier, which needed Katie's shrill voice bouncing around the whole kitchen to break them apart.

"One second." Emily murmured as she unknotted her hands now entangled with Naomi's hair, gesturing with her forefinger before tapping it at the tip of Naomi's nose. She spun on her heels and grabbed her phone, putting it next to her ear with a considerable amount of distance just in case Katie would bellow another ear piercing rant. "So--"

"What the fuck Emily?" She rolled her eyes and Naomi broke into a small laugh upon seeing Emily wince. "Did you just put me on hold?"

"Oh please." She pressed the phone in between her shoulder and her ear as she took the mugs that Naomi handed her, setting it on the dining table next to the plateful of pancakes. "It's not like you're the queen or something."

"No." Katie retorted firmly. "But I'm the head bitch in charge, yeah?"

Emily snorted out laughter. "What? Where did that even come from?"

"It's just the way it is Ems. Always have been."

"Right." She twisted around and beckoned for Naomi to take her usual seat already, so they could start on munching breakfast before their coffees turn cold. "So, later?"

"Yeah. I'll come by around--God, will you two stop making out?" Katie cried out from the other line upon hearing a weird sound that she could only associate with a kiss and nothing else. "At least wait till we finish talking."

"Making out? Nobody's making out." Emily playfully slapped Naomi's arm as the blonde started laughing at her answer, pushing her away to her usual seat as well because Naomi just won't stop hovering around.

"Ugh, whatever." She heard Katie brush off, in which she was pretty sure, had a roll of eyes along with it. "I'll come by later yeah?

Emily fell into a light chuckle. "I'll wait for you."

"Alright."

"Bye." She flipped her phone close, tossed it over some empty counter and flumped down on her seat, reaching out for a pancake while Naomi was busy cooling off her coffee. She flipped it onto a plate and squished an ample of syrup on top, forming small hearts on the side of the plate and a huge flower, which meant to be a lily in some way, over the pancake itself. She smiled in satisfaction of her work, handing it to Naomi wordlessly after, and she had to grip the edge of the table while she waited expectantly for Naomi's reaction.

Naomi's brow shot up instantaneously at the sight of her supposed to be meal, her expression torn between amusement, disbelief and something else entirely different, something Emily had never seen, although by the looks of Naomi's face, it was of something good rather than bad, which pretty much made her heave a sigh of relief. "Erm, thanks."

"You're welcome." Emily replied cheerfully and turned her attention on her own pancake instead, spelling out something with the syrup which Naomi couldn't read.

Naomi's fork hovered on top of her plate, because she just couldn't decide on which part to take first, seeing that Emily's idea of how a pancake should be served was too cute to be actually eaten. "You going out with Katie then?" She asked after a few beats of battling with her fork, to see to it that the syrup-made leaf wasn't ruined, which was utterly ridiculous in some sense since she'd be finishing up the whole pancake anyway, her efforts of keeping the flower in shape entirely going to waste.

"Yeah." Emily answered, warily. "Is that okay? I mean, going out?"

"Why not? It's Katie's day off anyways."

"Well, yeah." She hunched her shoulders into a shrug. "But, you know, I was thinking--"

"Em, if you're thinking about me." Naomi paused as she stuffed another forkful of pancake in her mouth. "I've got a photoshoot that would probably take the whole day. And I don't want you to get bored, so yeah. You should go out with Katie."

Emily broke into a sweet smile and placed another piece of pancake on Naomi's plate. "I just hope it's not a shopping spree that Katie's planned." A small groan of protest reverberated from deep within her throat, the mere thought tiring her out already. "I wanna get home alive." She drawled out drastically, falling into a giggle not long after, in which Naomi effortlessly joined.

"I doubt it would be shopping. She's too lazy to walk these days."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Naomi nodded in answer and reached forth to take a few sips of her coffee. "Probably 'coz she's pregnant, or hormones or something." She shrugged half-heartedly, handing her plate to Emily for the red head to squeeze some syrup on her second pancake.

"Or something." Emily laughed at the thought, which wasn't far too impossible to happen, because, well, it was Katie here they were talking about. But she ruled it out immediately, having been a witness to the drastic changes that Katie had been under the past weeks. It was just that, she found the idea of Katie using the 'I can't walk because I'm pregnant' excuse rather funny. "Maybe the baby's tiring her out, you know."

"I think so." Naomi took her plate back with a smile and a soft "Thanks." mumbled to Emily, handing the red head the cup of coffee she had cooled herself, in return, since Emily had always preferred cooled ones. "Problem is, as an assistant, she needs to do a lot of walking, which isn't exactly happening. She sends somebody else to do some of her work for her."

"Yeah, well, that's Katie for you. Always been the head bitch in charge."

***

Thankfully, it was indeed coffee that Katie had settled for, no unannounced shopping sprees.

"I met Effy." She jumpstarted the conversation after Emily had taken a seat on the opposite side of the booth while handing a mug of coffee that she slowly reached for, her wary gaze trained on Emily's face, gauging her reactions, waiting for the slightest twitch that might clue her in.

Emily stiffened for about half a beat at the sound of Effy's name, but recovered her composure quickly. "Yeah, Naomi told me."

Katie didn't miss it though, that sudden and brief reaction, of fucking course. "She's, I don't know, quite cryptic."

"I hardly know her." Emily replied casually, or at least that was what she hoped she had sounded. "I haven't really got the chance to spend some time with her."

Katie turned her coffee mug around, fingers encircling around the handle. "Well, yeah, I suppose." She shrugged and brought the mug close to her lips, sipping first before continuing. "That would be, like, awkward then."

"Awkward?" Emily squeaked, had to clear her throat to bring her voice back. "What do you mean awkward?"

"Oh, come on Em, like you didn't know." Katie snorted in disbelief as she watched her twin's expression turn further more confused. "Oh God, you really don't?" She gasped, this time in genuine surprise, lifting her free hand to cover her wide open mouth.

"Jesus, Katie." Emily rolled her eyes, scowling right afterwards as she threw her sister an incredulous look. "I would bloody know if you tell me."

"Effy--" Katie paused and looked around the whole café, her eyes scanning the entire place, and when she was sure enough that nobody whom she was familiar with was around, she leaned in closer to her twin, still not taking any chances and beckoned Emily to do the same. "I think Effy has a thing for Naomi."

Emily stiffened, much longer this time than the previous, and Katie could see Emily's fingers clutching the mug handle tighter that she actually feared for a moment that it would break into pieces. "You think?" She managed to mutter, though the words were strained when they came out, and, for once, Katie hated how daft Emily could be sometimes.

"No, I don't think." She retorted and pushed her mug away. "I know."

Emily took a deep breath, remained in silence for a moment though her eyes didn't leave Katie's. "I don't think it's any of our business Kay." She spoke after a good while, fingers now letting go of the mug handle slowly as she let them dance around the mug's brim instead.

"Aren't you bothered at all?" Katie snapped back, her fingers curling into fists and back into open palms again, mindlessly doing it over and over in an alternate pattern. "Naomi is your girlfriend!"

The younger twin swallowed hard, fingers back to gripping tightly once more, though it was the whole mug this time, not minding the seeping heat that the hot liquid breathed out of the ceramic, burning the skin of her palm little by little. "In contract." She muttered, had to close her eyes to focus on the hotness of the mug instead, at least to take her mind off the twinge slowly creeping up her chest. "She's my girlfriend, in contract."

"Oh, for fuck's sake Emily." Katie snorted incredulity, slammed the table even, attracting a few customers in the process that she had to lean in much closer, though not before bombarding the random people with sharp glares. "Stop talking shit, will you?"

"What?"

She raised an eyebrow, in a rather smug way which pretty much had 'Yes, I know everything and I'm right' in context. "I saw you two kissing yeah?" Emily's eyes widened for a short moment and it was all that Katie needed to press further. "And, God, you two were practically making out this morning."

"What--"

"Ah, don't deny it. I heard." Katie interjected before Emily could even object, pointing out a finger that shushed her sister off entirely. "And Naomi wants her Ferrari re-painted bright red, of all fucking colors." She watched as Emily stilled for a while, Emily's eyes averting away, falling everywhere except at her. "Now tell me if it's still because of the contract."

Emily snapped her head up, looking around first before she hissed. "Jesus, will you keep your voice down."

Katie folded her arms over her chest, the only reply that Emily knew she would get, and she grimaced at the sight of her sister staring at her intently, with a look that was a mixture of content, goading and complacency. A kind of look that Katie would give, most of the time, to pry for answers. It was intimidating and irritating at the same time that Emily would often find herself actually giving in, just like now. "Alright fine."

"Fine what?"

"We're sort of--" Emily paused in hesitation, had to lower her head because she was beginning to blush terribly. "sort of together."

"Sort of?" Katie let out a scoff, more like because of disbelief rather than insinuating an insult.

"Yeah, sort of. We're trying to be together and make things work out."

Katie's eyes quickly turned into a squint. "And how far do you mean by that sort of?" She asked, in a satiric sense, quoting the last words with her fingers curling and uncurling up in the air.

"That's private." Emily answered firmly, shooting a sharp glare at her twin. "I'm not going to talk about it."

"God, so you two _are_ shagging then."

"Katie!" She hissed vehemently, nearly toppling the table over if it wasn't welded to the ground, as she extended her hand and covered her sister's mouth. "Keep your voice down! It's fucking embarrassing!"

Katie swatted Emily's arm away and leaned closer, looking all so dangerous that Emily had a sudden urge to pull back, though it was probably too late because Katie had her arms pinned on top of the table. "God, how can you not tell me about it Emily?"

"What?" Emily exclaimed in disbelief as she wiggled her hands to yank them off her sister's firm grip. "Katie, I don't need to tell you everything that's happening in my life."

"I don't mean it that way Ems."

"Then what? Why do you want to know?" She started squirming on her seat because her sister was holding her so tight, almost chain-like.

"Because it matters okay?" Katie snapped back, grip tightening around the wrists that her nails were almost digging around Emily's jacket covered skin. "It fucking matters Ems." She hissed, her lisps somehow hindering the words coming out because she was on the very verge of shouting, and she had to dig her teeth deep on her bottom lip to stop her from screaming.

It somehow did the trick, along with Katie's softened eyes and quivering lips, because Emily stopped squirming altogether, relaxing little by little under her sister's slightly loosened grip and concerned gaze. "Is it a really big deal?" She mumbled, almost breathlessly, trying to remember how they even started fighting. "I mean, me being with Naomi? Is it?"

Katie exhaled a weary sigh, letting go of Emily's hands completely. "Of course it's a big deal Ems." She stroked each of Emily's hands instead, the pads of her thumbs gently rubbing across the length of Emily's skin. "Because this time, it's real. And I don't want you to get, like, heartbroken yeah?"

"Kay--"

"Look Ems." She broke off, taking Emily's fingers in between hers. "I'm not against it or anything. All I'm saying is, be careful alright? I know I'm in no position to tell you, because, God, I got myself fucking pregnant only months after I started dating Cook." She forced out a shaky laugh, nudged Emily by the hand to laugh along with her, because she wanted this conversation to be light as it could be.

"Naomi can't impregnate me."

"See, I knew you two were shagging." Katie watched, with a knowing smile which somehow seemed rather victorious to Emily, as the younger twin opened her mouth to voice something out, cutting off quickly even before her sister could say a word. "But that's beside the point."

"What _is_ the point exactly?"

"I don't know either." Katie shook her head that Emily suddenly burst into a fit of giggles because her sister was now looking all blank in that short span of time, her 'I'm fucking wise' stage already over before Emily could even realize it had begun. "But just, I don't know. It's unexplainable, really."

Emily's brow rose into a perfectly sculpted quirk. "I don't get what you mean."

"God." Katie rolled her eyes, shuffled in her seat as she propped her arms against the table, leaning further close that she was almost whispering. "I've got this weird feeling about Effy."

"Gossip--"

"No." She broke off, clasping and unclasping her hands together, her eyes never leaving her sister's. "I can't explain it okay? But, see, she's got a thing for Naomi. And I can see it Ems."

Emily took a deep breath, letting her fingers run along her temple. "I know."

"You know?"

She bobbed her head in confirmation, pressing her fingers harder because she could feel a massive headache coming. "I heard her tell Freddie before."

"Fuck's sake." Katie cursed under her breath, slamming her now clammy hand against the table. "I knew it." She whipped her head, stared at Emily with an unreadable expression in her eyes. "Aren't you even worried one bit?"

"I trust Naomi." Emily feebly replied, like she was convincing herself more than she was convincing her twin.

"God, that's another--" Katie's hands shot up in the air, flailing exaggeratedly almost everywhere. "I don't know! It's like Naomi has a thing for her too!" She exclaimed, all too innocently because she really had no idea about it to be honest, just came up in her mind since she was rather convinced of Naomi and Emily's relationship being real. Though when she saw her twin freezing completely on her seat, it was all that she needed to somehow confirm what she had once thought was a mere random hunch. "Fucking hell." She murmured, letting her fingers brush along her hair. "Emily--"

"Naomi likes Effy. A lot." Emily had no idea where the strength to utter the words actually came from, because pushing them out was almost cutting her in half, ripping her apart. "She's liked her for the longest time." She closed her eyes, her hands instantaneously wrapping around her shoulders, rubbing up and down in a soothing manner because the truth re-surfacing once more felt like a physical blow to the gut, only, it was much painful this time, because _them_ already existed, not pretending anymore, but real.

"And you're just going to leave it like that?" Katie cried out, attracting a lot of attention for the umpteenth time that she had to drag Emily out of the café so they could talk properly without anybody eavesdropping. "Fuck's sake. Come on." She held Emily by the arm, practically throwing her sister against the wall at the back alley of the café, which was empty at that moment and seemed like a good place to talk since it was far from the busy and prying streets. "What the fuck Emily?"

"I want to trust Naomi okay?" Emily replied, tried to reach out for her sister but Katie kept on pacing back and forth in front of her. "So you should trust her too."

Katie stopped moving, her head tipping up as if it was calming her down in some way, for a moment until she peered over her shoulder to look at Emily. "It's not her that I'm worried about." She spun around completely and watched as her twin dejectedly flumped against the wall behind her, Emily's back hitting the coarse brick wall with a hard thud. She walked towards her in small, deliberate steps while reaching out to run her hand along the whole length of Emily's arm, the other brushing the fringe away from Emily's eyes. "I trust Naomi Ems. But I can't help but think."

"What?" Emily mumbled helplessly.

"That one day, Naomi's gonna leave and--"

"Don't even go there Katie." She broke off, pressing a finger against Katie's lips, stopping her twin from spilling it out altogether, because the words were going to pierce her in some way, like blown shards of broken glass wounding her on the most hurtful places. "Don't, please." She pleaded and blinked a few times, getting rid of the tears that had started to fill her eyes. "I want to trust her, wholly."

"I know Ems and I understand. But--" Katie hesitated, had to consider first if she was going to push through, though Emily had decided it for her.

"But what?"

"You need to slow down. Or you'd end up falling for her, like, hard."

Emily released an exasperated sigh and lowered her head, refusing to meet Katie's eyes. "I think it's too late to slow down." She barely whispered and felt Katie turning still as a statue in return.

"Oh, God. That's fucked up."

***

"Hey."

"Oh, hey Eff." A shiver ran down Naomi's spine and she felt her shoulders start to shake uncontrollably, after having been stood outside in the middle of a freezing, cold October day and slightly pouring rain, because she had to finish the bloody photoshoot which was themed as under the fucking rain. She clutched both ends of the winter coat she was wearing tighter, and gave an almost nod to Effy who was approaching her side, since it was too painful for her to move any single part of her body.

"You alright?" Effy asked, nudging Naomi by the shoulder. "You look pale."

"I'm freezing." Naomi replied in a stutter, because even her chin and her lips were quivering uncontrollably.

Effy broke into a small smile and shuffled on her place until she was in front of Naomi, her arms instantaneously spreading wide, as if preparing herself to envelope the blonde into a massive hug. "Human heat?"

Naomi snorted laughter, though still shaky, and eyed Effy with an incredulous look. "Human heat my arse."

"I'm serious, yeah?"

"Doesn't look like you are." Naomi bantered and pushed past Effy playfully, feeling an urgent need to take a seat because she was starting to get dizzy. "I told them to re-schedule the shoot and they won't listen to me." She continued as she felt the unoccupied space on the couch, one right next to her, sinking with light weight, in which she could only presume belonging to Effy's. "They said it's the perfect weather and shit. Blah, blah, blah."

An amused laugh escaped from Effy's lips while she watched Naomi rant unremittingly with Naomi's eyes screwed shut, her head leaned against the couch rest, her wet, peroxide blonde hair sprawled all over, and Effy couldn't help but reach for one loose lock to play with.

"It's fucking--" Naomi let out a sneeze all of a sudden, stopping her from talking, and found herself laughing after it because her sneeze sounded like a mouse squeak.

Effy laughed along too. "Was that even a sneeze."

"It was! You saw it coming from me." Naomi answered back, slapping Effy playfully in the arm. "I think I'm going to have flu or something." She added after a few beats and lifted her hand to feel the temperature on her neck and her forehead.

"You cow." Effy snorted, much to Naomi's surprise, and swatted away Naomi's hand. "Your hand's freezing, you won't get it right." She was the one who checked instead, pressing the back of her hand on the respective places. "You've got a slight fever." She announced after a short while, tipped her head up to get more feel. "You need to go home Nai."

"Jesus." Naomi blurted out, sniffing a little as she ran a finger under her nose, her eyes getting heavier by the minute. "I'm just gonna call Emily." She patted Effy on the leg, standing ever so quickly which ensued into a head rush, and she nearly stumbled back to the couch, if not for the hand that she had managed to prop against the wall in time to support herself.

"Why not just sit down." Effy butted in, pulled Naomi back to the couch gently. "I'll leave."

"No Eff." Naomi protested as she flumped down on her previous seat. "You don't have to leave."

"Don't worry, I'll be back. I'll get you something hot to drink while you make a call okay?" Effy watched as Naomi answered with a single nod, and leaned in to plant a light kiss on top of Naomi's now burning forehead, wincing a little because she could feel the heat in her lips.

"Thanks." Naomi replied with a small smile. "Tea would be great." She waited until Effy had left the room before she fished her phone out of her purse, pressing speed dial one while she hoped that Emily would pick up the call immediately.

A ring or two, and Emily's cheery voice echoed in her ears. "Hey babe."

She cringed in utter disgust, frowned so deep even though Emily couldn't see it. "Did you just call me babe?"

"I'm kidding Nai-Nai." She heard her laugh on the other line, and she found herself smiling while listening to the sound of it. "How are you?"

She sniffed twice before answering. "I'm sick. I think I have flu."

Emily's sharp gasp blasted through the speaker and Naomi could almost feel the edge of it. "Oh my--are you feeling bad? Do you have a fever? Are you feeling dizzy?"

The words were almost slurring, because Emily was speaking too fast, as if she wasn't breathing at all, that Naomi had a hard time making them out. "Em, slow down yeah?" She broke off with an amused laugh, hearing Emily's huffs while she tried to catch her breath. "I'm not really well right now. Could you come here and take me home? I don't think I can drive."

"I'll be there as soon as I can alright? Wait for me."

"Yeah, I will. I'd probably get some sleep."

"Good. Do that." Emily paused and took a deep breath. "A-And Nai-Nai?"

"Yes?" Naomi answered sleepily, with a yawn coming out alongside the word.

"I--" Emily hesitated for a second, her mind battling whether to speak _those_ three words out, deciding if it was actually a good time to say it or not, her will beating her better judgment because she could feel a strong urge to say it, while she could, while she had the right. "I, uhm--" She stuttered, so badly that she had to clear her throat first, her voice getting raspier than usual. With one long, hard swallow, she was ready to say them, those three words she had always wanted to utter for the longest time.

"Here's your tea."

She stopped, breaking off mid-word, as a familiar voice rung past the speaker and straight to her ears, reverberating in there, bouncing all over that she felt a sudden need to cover her ears to get rid of it and its echoes.

"Thanks." She heard Naomi murmur, though a bit distant. "Em, what were you saying?"

"N-Nothing. It was nothing."

Naomi's forehead crumpled as she noticed Emily's sudden change of tone, from cheerful into something she couldn't really describe, but decided to not pry on it because for all she knew, she might just be imagining things. "Oh, alright."

"I'll see you later."

The line went dead before she could even answer, but she was feeling far too dizzy to process things, let alone, find reasons for them.

***

It took Emily almost an hour to get to Naomi, the fastest she could since she had to go back home and pick up some things, not to mention, she had a pregnant sister tagged along, who, unfortunately, wasn't the fastest walker around.

"Fuck's sake Ems! Slow down!" Katie cried out from behind her, the heels of Katie's shoes clattering noisily against the marbled floor. "God, I'm like, I'm pregnant yeah?"

Emily didn't give out an answer, but scrambled onto her feet instead, and Katie figured it was going to be Emily's only reply.

"Emily!" She shouted, louder this time, and it stopped her sister from walking, finally succeeding to catch her attention.

"What?" Emily snapped as she spun around, looking all agitated by something that Katie herself could tell what exactly, because she was just a door away from Naomi.

"Why are you such in a hurry?"

"Because Naomi's sick." She spat out and turned around to reach the door handle, but Katie caught her by the wrist, spinning her back. "Katie she's sick. What if she's got swine flu or something?" She yanked her hand away while her eyes never left her sister's straight face, and she could feel herself bouncing on the balls of her feet because she couldn't see the point why they were still standing there when they could actually be heading inside Naomi's dressing room instead.

"Is it really because she's sick?" Katie asked straightforwardly, throwing her sister an apologetic look as she watched Emily's face drop. "Or because she's--"

"Either way, we've got to be there now Kay." Emily interjected, breaking Katie off because the more the older twin asked about the blatant truth, the sharper the twinge inside her chest would get.

"I know." Katie answered firmly. "But before we get in there, I want you to remember that Effy's gonna be there."

"I know that already."

"And, she and Naomi are the best of friends." Katie continued, brushing Emily's retort off. "So, whatever you're going to see, whether it's obnoxiously sweet or something, like disgusting, it doesn't mean anything."

"Jesus Christ." Emily huffed out. "What the fuck Katie?" She grimaced, mouth hanging agape. "What are you even talking about? Earlier, you were telling me how Naomi and Effy have a _thing_, and now you're telling me it doesn't mean anything?"

"I didn't say that I don't think that anymore." Katie countered, folded her arms over her chest as she shifted her weight on the other leg.

"Then why are you telling me this?"

"Because things have changed Ems. You're already, God, you're in love with her." Katie reached out, letting her hands glide up and down Emily's shoulders. "And the least I can do is to, like, support you to it."

"Kay--"

"Ems, you've got to keep in mind that Naomi's yours, at least for now. You can make things last longer that you want them to be. Forget what I said back at the café yeah? It's such a stupid thing to say."

Emily took a step backwards, wriggling away from Katie's gentle but firm hold. "But you were right."

"I _might_ be right." Katie's lips curled up into an encouraging smile. "But you could always prove me wrong. And I want you to."

"Christ." Emily hissed, exhaling an exasperated sigh as she screwed her eyes shut. "Katie you're confusing me." She batted her eyes open and saw the mirror image of her brown orbs staring back at her, with a certain softness that she could only think of as concern.

"Emsy, just--You need to--" Katie rambled a tad bit, lips quivering as she tried to re-arrange her words mentally. "Forget about what I said before, alright?"

Emily let out a half-hearted nod, though she was still confused by everything that was happening, her mind swimming into a thousand emotions that she didn't have the faintest idea what to exactly feel. "Kay, let's just go inside yeah?" She cocked her head, pointing towards the door's direction, and watched as Katie nodded in agreement. She spun around, taking in a deep breath first before twisting the door handle, her heart pounding hard and loud under her chest.

She pushed the door quietly, stopping midway in the process because she could see something past the half opened door, something she wished she didn't have to see, not right now when her head was already full of almost everything, and she suddenly had the impulse to run and leave just to escape it, the sight of Naomi curled up into Effy's side with Naomi's head resting at the crook of Effy's neck, Effy's arms threading along Naomi's hair. They looked perfect together that for a moment Emily wondered if she and Naomi ever looked like that when they were together. She had a hundred arguments in mind, all leading to one dreadful answer, _not even close_.

"Don't turn around." Katie was behind Emily all at once, the words spoken with such weight that it oddly felt like it was a threat, like Emily would pay a certain price if she decided to go against Katie's words.

Emily froze by the door, her legs suddenly turning numb and she couldn't feel them, couldn't bring them to take a step forward.

"Go." She felt the subtle but firm push Katie had given her, nudging her from behind. She twisted around and Katie nodded at her, somehow reassuring that she wasn't going anywhere. She gave her a timid smile as an answer and twisted back, quietly walking towards Naomi and Effy, with deliberate and shaky steps, her being able to reach them without tumbling down being a complete surprise.

Effy saw her first. "Emily." She nodded, in greeting, hand still running along Naomi's hair, like it was the most natural thing to do, every stroke equaling to an incision marked along Emily's heart while she watched, painfully. Though somehow, the mention of Emily's name woke Naomi up from her apparent sleep.

Naomi stirred on the couch and disentangled herself from Effy's hold, the swift movement causing a scowl to flash at Effy's face, one which Naomi didn't see. "Hey Em." She welcomed Emily with a dreamy, half-sleepy smile and a sneeze afterwards.

"Hey." Emily sat down right next to the blonde, her hand instantly reaching out to feel Naomi's forehead. "Christ, Nai, you're hot."

"I get that all the time." Naomi bantered, sneezing again for the umpteenth time that day. "Excuse me."

"Bless you." Emily answered in between her light chuckles, her hand sliding down to cup Naomi's flushed, burning cheek. "You okay?"

Another sneeze. "I feel like shit."

Emily pulled her hand back, only to reach inside the backpack she had brought, drawing out a large university hoody from inside it and an unopened box of tissue. "Here, wear this." She handed the hoody and watched as Naomi wordlessly shrugged out of the winter coat, slipping in on the thick jacket that she gave. "Better?"

"Mhm." Naomi dipped her head, aiming for a kiss but stopped halfway, pulling back quickly without warning and Emily's heart sank at once, deep down the pit of her stomach, starting to beat frantically again, dead scared of the one reason she knew Naomi could possibly have in mind.

"Nai?"

A timid smile took form in Naomi's lips, and if her cheeks weren't red already, Emily could have sworn that Naomi was blushing. "I don't want you to catch a cold too." She murmured before leaning in to kiss the tip of Emily's nose.

The red head exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding, a breath of relief, and smiled as she arched upwards to plant a kiss on Naomi's forehead. "Right. Wouldn't want the both of us to get sick. Because then it would mean that Katie will have to take care of us."

"Exactly." A coarse laugh escaped from Naomi's lips, ensuing into a cough, which somehow reminded Emily that they really need to head home.

"Home then?"

Naomi nodded and stood up slowly, taking Emily's hand with hers, not just because she needed support, but mainly because she wanted to. "Effy's gonna drive us home."

Emily managed to act like the idea wasn't disturbing her one bit, since she had somehow seen it coming, though she was still a little surprised as Katie was, and it took her a lot of will power not to chance a look at her sister because the last thing she needed right now was another addition to the ideas, hunches, suspicions or whatever exactly that was already floating inside her head. "Sure."

She took comfort at their intertwined hands because it was the only thing that was making her forget about everything going on around.

***

"Why don't you lie on Emily's lap, Naomi?" Katie called out from the passenger seat, twisting a tad bit to chance a look at the half-asleep blonde.

Naomi squirmed on her seat and buried her face further into the crook of Emily's neck. "No, I don't want to. I'll just get more dizzy."

"Katie's right Nai-Nai." Emily seconded in a whisper, brushed the fringe away from Naomi's eyes.

Naomi repositioned their intertwined hands on top of her lap and held onto Emily's hand tighter, smiling at the feeling of the pad of Emily's thumb rubbing along the back of her hand. "No." She murmured firmly, planting a soft kiss on Emily's neck which she pretty much knew would make her win. "I don't want to."

"Ugh, whatever." Katie rolled her eyes and reverted back to her comfy position, eyes catching the whitened knuckles Effy had and the tight line Effy's lips were pressed into, but decided to not say anything about it, because things might get more awkward than they already were.

***

She gently laid Naomi down the bed and covered her with a thick blanket because Naomi wouldn't stop shivering. "I'll just go downstairs and make you some soup yeah?" She waited for Naomi's reply, which came as a feebly mumbled "Okay.", planting a soft kiss on Naomi's forehead afterwards. "I'll be quick." She turned around, walked past the door, closing it behind her, and she nearly screamed in fright upon seeing Effy standing nearby the door, back leaning against the wall with an unreadable expression in her face, which turned stoic at once as soon as Effy felt her presence. "Hey, Effy." She hesitatingly called out, into which Effy came with no reply. "Listen, thanks for the ride."

"Can I talk to you?" Effy turned her head to face Emily, eyebrow quirking. "In private?"

"Yeah, sure." Emily answered faintly, stepping backwards after having felt the urgent need to do so, for known and unknown reasons. "Downstairs?"

"Lead the way."

"Okay." It came out almost breathless. She walked past her and practically ran down the stairs with her heart lodged in her throat. There was something off with Effy's eyes, like she was being all too serious and Emily had nothing but a bad feeling about it. "Please take a seat." She gestured towards the couch and flumped down on her usual place, Effy sitting opposite her with the same, stoic expression. "So--"

Effy wasted no time. "I know about the contract."

Emily froze on her seat, wide eyes looking straight at Effy with disbelief and utter surprise dancing in them. Effy's face stayed the same, as if she was unperturbed by it, by the fact that Emily's reaction pretty much confirmed everything she had been meaning to prove. "I know that you and Naomi _had_ an agreement which is even documented."

Emily considered lying for a moment, for Naomi's sake and her own, but the conviction in Effy's words was very much unmistakable, undeniable, that it even reached up to Effy's eyes, mixing with all the other emotions that were flashing and glinting in those electric blue orbs. She swallowed hard, feeling like she'd choke, the stale, tensioned air getting thicker by the second that she was finding it hard to breathe, like the walls were suddenly closing in on her, trapping her in between. "Yes." She answered in defeat, had to close her eyes, because this was it.

The very epitome of her fears.

Effy pondered in silence for about a beat, staring at Emily with a look that was something akin to incredulity mixed with a hint of antipathy, which Emily would not like to recognize because it was making her feel weaker, helpless, hurt. "Naomi doesn't know that I know." She continued, finally breaking her silence. "And I don't intend to tell her."

Emily didn't know if she should be relieved by the fact or be more scared of it, because Effy's intentions were unknown. She didn't know Effy's game at all, how she would play, what she was going to do, and what was the fucking purpose of it all. "I see." It was the only reply she could muster, because the smirk slowly creeping up on Effy's lips was scaring her, somehow telling her that she was bound to lose Naomi soon. Even if Effy wasn't saying anything, even if.

"I would just like to know one thing." Effy caught Emily's attention, scowling a little because she didn't know what to take of Emily's somewhat pained face.

Seconds passed. "What?" Emily answered with closed eyes, as if bracing herself for whatever question was going to be thrown her way.

"The reason why."

It felt like a bomb dropped all of a sudden, exploding inside her head without warning, bound to wipe out everything she had managed to build.


	41. The Perfect Drug

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 40

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_Emily never wanted to hate Effy, but she was making it hard for her._

**A/N:** Next chapter. Thanks for all the comments! They're all major boosts!

It was all silent until then, deafening almost, if not for the constant ticking of the clock being the only thing Emily could hear, the maddening tick-tocks ensuing into an explosion inside her head, like a bomb detonating in time just as Effy spoke the words, its razor-sharp shards blown up alongside it, all bits and pieces aimed at her, destined to hurt her in someway, scar her even.

She stared at Effy with a look equally torn between apprehension and shock, pain being somewhat mixed with it, twitching and wincing under Effy's scrutinizing gaze as much as she tried not to; and she had to grip the arm rest tight to stop herself from completely cowering, because Effy was looking at her with such intensity that it wasn't plain intimidating anymore but was rather unsettling in the worst possible way, as if Effy was reading past through her reactions and resolve, smirking at every evidence of her discomfort. She watched as Effy crossed her legs and folded her arms over her chest, in a rather defiant manner, while Effy's gaze settled at her, eyes totally unmoving that if Emily didn't know for a fact that it was never possible, she would have thought Effy wasn't even blinking.

She swallowed hard and shut her eyes for about half a beat, being that it was the only thing she supposed she could do at the moment to stop her from losing her nerves completely, and she began to think of what Katie would say if she was here, as much as she hated herself at the same time for it, for being the weak hearted that she was. As her lids met, the image of Katie flashed before her closed eyes, lips curled up tightly on the side and a brow arched up high, hissing "What's it to you?" so harshly that Emily thought for a moment Katie's lisps wouldn't be able to handle it.

She batted her eyes open quickly, before her new found yet temporary courage could even run out, balled her free hand into a tight fist though she didn't say the exact same words that Katie did, spoke it in a less harsh way even. "Why would you like to know?"

For a second, Effy looked like she was actually going to laugh, but stayed the same nonetheless, the same smirk inhabiting her lips and Emily had suddenly developed a strong urge to wipe it off of Effy's face permanently, replace it with an expression less vile and less intense, less unnerving.

"Naomi's my friend." Effy replied matter-of-factly. "I ought to know."

"Don't you think if Naomi wanted you to know, she would have told you herself?" Emily answered back, tone now almost Katie-like, just lower and minus the lisps, and she wondered for a little while if her sister had managed to rub in on her within that span of time they had spent together. Or maybe she had it in her all along, given that they were twins after all, only, she never brought this side of her out since Katie was already doing it for her, for them both.

"She would have." Effy shrugged, looking interested and fascinated by something all of a sudden, in which Emily didn't take as a good sign. "Unless--" She broke off, purposely, smirking while she left her words hanging in the air.

"Unless what?" Emily followed, almost too quickly, flinching subtly as she noticed how shifty she might have seemed like.

"Unless, I'm one of the reasons."

Emily stayed still on her seat, freezing altogether as she watched Effy's face slowly turn into something deeply akin to self-satisfaction, Effy's smirk growing wider while her own lips pressed dangerously close together, biting the insides in the process, her teeth leaving deep dents as they sunk against the thin, delicate skin. She was arguing with herself to whether or not tell Effy the truth, save her the effort of lying, and she nearly said 'yes' to the thought of it if not for Katie's words suddenly ringing in her ears, out of nowhere, thankfully.

"_Ems, you've got to keep in mind that Naomi's yours, at least for now. You can make things last longer that you want them to be."_

She found herself squaring her shoulders instead, straightening on her seat because somewhere along the conversation, she had figured out that this was what Effy was exactly aiming for, less words, more mind games. "What do you really want?"

Effy snorted a scoff. "The truth obviously."

"What for?" Emily retaliated, fingers curling and uncurling into fists.

"Because I know it's about me yeah?" Effy unfolded her arms and leaned a little bit forwards, and Emily had a sudden inkling to pull back. "I know it's about me, I just need to hear it."

A miffed grunt, though a bit shaky, escaped from Emily's lips as she eyed Effy with pure incredulity. "What makes you so sure?"

"We've been friends since forever Emily." Effy answered, Emily's name rolling out of her tongue edgily, biting. "I know her more than you think I do."

"If you know her enough, you wouldn't do stupid things to her." Emily blurted out through gritted teeth, the words barely making it out in whole. She could feel herself shaking, but couldn't really point out the reason why because there were just too many floating inside her head. "You'd call her if you need her and drop her if you don't. Although you know that it's hurting her somehow." She glided her hand up the arm rest and held onto it tight as she could feel herself getting in the edge of her seat, almost at the point of launching herself to throttle Effy. "You embarrassed her in front of a whole crowd of reporters. How could you even do that?"

It caught Effy entirely off guard, Emily's sudden outburst that was, and her face faltered a little but all too quickly, the stoic, cold expression already back up even before Emily could take notice. "So it's really about me then." She concluded with another smirk, continuing at once when she saw the confused and somewhat defeated look at Emily's face. "The contract was made because of me."

Emily screwed her eyes shut as she stayed hushed for a moment, completely aware of Effy's lingering gaze because she could feel it boring through her skin, the weight of Effy's stares sinking in. She exhaled a resigned sigh and bit her lip hard, because by the looks of it, she was at the brink of losing this fucking mind game Effy was playing. "What do you really want from her Effy?" She asked, her voice cracking though she was struggling hard to make it sound even.

Effy took in the silence that came after, tipping her head up while she inhaled a deep breath. "She's mine." She dragged her eyes down, the seriousness in her eyes unmistakable that Emily nearly trembled with fear, not because she was afraid of Effy, but because she knew that with those eyes, she could lose Naomi in one single snap of Effy's fingers.

"She was never yours to begin with." Emily retorted, hissing back so vehemently that it surprised her entirely, as if it was a new Emily who was speaking, an unknown side of hers brought out only at much needed moments.

"And neither yours."

Emily never wanted to hate Effy, but she was making it hard for her.

She fidgeted subtly in her seat, Effy's words hitting her with a hard blow, and she could almost feel the pain physically, the sting and the sharpness of the words thrown grating her skin. "You pushed her away Effy." She swallowed hard, tried not to flinch under Effy's disconcerting gaze. "You pushed her away from you and now you want her again? Isn't that a bit ridiculous?" She wanted to shout, to scream at Effy for being so selfish. She had a lot of things in mind, so many things to say that she didn't even know where to actually start, and she ended up with a low growl instead.

Effy did nothing but stare at Emily, smirking like she was watching a fucking comedy show rather than an angry red head fighting to keep her temper within her hold, and it only infuriated Emily further more.

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Nothing." Effy tilted her head to the side; smiled or rather sneered, almost mockingly.

Emily's forehead furrowed deeply into a crease. "What?"

"I don't have to say anything." Effy paused, and that particular glint that flashed through her eyes nearly made Emily swoon over her seat, because she could feel it in her skin, searing, smoldering. "Except, I'm going to get her back."

***

It was the muffled sound of Naomi's little coughs that broke Emily from her streaming thoughts. Effy had been long gone while she stayed rooted in place, on the couch down at the living room, her face a mixture of a hundred different emotions changing from time to time. She didn't know if she should laugh or cry or be ultimately pissed off that she ended up burying her face in her palms instead, scrunching it all together until it almost hurt, her weary breaths passing through the space between her fingers as she blew them out noisily.

Amidst the fit of coughs and sneezes overheard, Emily took a minute or two to pull herself together, heaved herself up and pushed all her thoughts at the back of her mind, deciding to deal with it in a much better time than now. As she absentmindedly walked straight to the kitchen to retrieve a basin and a towel, she spotted the chicken soup she had planned to cook by the kitchen counter, never making it to the stove. She opted to save it for later then, when she was sure that Naomi was comfortable enough and had gotten a good rest. She moved towards the tap and half-filled the basin with water, tossed the towel in it before treading up to Naomi's room, which eventually turned into _their_ room these past few weeks, and she couldn't help the smile that broke forth her lips at the thought, fueling her resolve to keep Naomi by her side at the same time.

She stopped by the front door and twisted the handle, pushing it open with her foot since she was holding the basin with both of her hands, and she nearly legged the distance between her and Naomi upon seeing her shivering under the thick blanket she had covered her with. She gently placed the basin down on top of the nightstand and sat at the edge of the bed, hand reaching out to brush Naomi's fringe away that was falling along her eyes because she was lying on her side. "Hey." She softly greeted when Naomi opened her heavy lidded eyes. "I'm going to give you a sponge bath. That okay?"

"I don't want to." Naomi answered sleepily, in a rather raspy voice, and Emily had to fight the urge to giggle because it was said in an almost childlike tone, with a matching pout, she took note.

"But it'll make you feel better." Emily replied with a soft smile, letting her palm slide down to Naomi's exposed, feverish cheek, stroking it with the pad of her thumb in the most soothing way that she could. "Come on Nai."

"No." Naomi spoke sternly that if she _was_ feeling well, there would probably be a roll of eyes accompanying it. She shifted and laid flat on her back, taking Emily's hand with hers under the blanket wordlessly, their fingers laced together.

"Naomi." Emily called out; tugged the blonde's hand while eyeing her with a reproachful look. "Come on now."

"I'm too tired to move."

"It's gonna make you feel better."

"What if I don't feel better?"

A hoarse laugh echoed from deep within Emily's throat. "You're so stubborn."

Naomi rolled onto her side again and scooted near Emily, the covers rustling as she moved and wrestled with it for a moment, resting her forehead against Emily's folded knee afterwards. "I just wanna sleep Em."

"I know." Emily lifted her free hand; ran her fingers through Naomi's hair. "But you'll get a much better sleep if you clean up first."

"No."

"Alright, fine." She huffed out, rolling her eyes. "But I'll fix you some chicken soup yeah?"

Naomi dragged her eyes up and let out a throaty groan. "I'm not hungry."

"Nai-Nai." Emily breathed out exasperatedly, glaring at Naomi in the process. "Stop being so stubborn."

"I've got a sore throat." Naomi feigned a cough, which turned into a real one not long after, thus earning her another apprehensive glare from the red head.

"Nai, just--" Emily paused for a good while and tipped her head up, counting from one to ten mentally, her stare full of reproach once she brought her gaze back down. "I'm calling your Mum." She spoke flatly, but it managed to get the one reaction she had been meaning to have. She watched as Naomi stared at her with horror, Naomi's droopy eyes turning into what seemed like a forced squint, and she had to fight hard to stop herself from smiling because Naomi's face was grimacing awfully that it was actually rather funny. "I mean it Nai."

"You don't." Naomi mouthed breathlessly. "You wouldn't."

"Oh I would." Emily replied with a smug smirk. "Just watch me."

Naomi begrudgingly rolled onto her back once more, relentlessly murmuring something that sounded like a curse to Emily's ears. "Alright, clean up it is then."

"And soup." Emily quickly followed, shaking her head while laughing softly.

"But--"

"Ah!" She held out a finger, shushing Naomi completely, and eyed the phone lying by the other nightstand, one that she easily could reach. "And soup."

"You evil, evil--" Naomi grumbled under her breath as she watched Emily laugh at her, and if she just wasn't feeling terribly weak, she would've pounced on Emily and just, just--like, fucking kiss her and then throttle her or something. "Evil--"

Emily's laugh slowly trickled off, ending it with a grin while Naomi watched her through squinted eyes. "Evil what?"

"Girlfriend." Naomi puffed out before wriggling her way out of the messy, tangled covers and duvet, entirely missing the massive, sudden blush that had just invaded Emily's cheeks.

Emily nearly swooned over, for the second time that day though it was for an entirely different reason, and she had to grip the covers tight, crumpling it with her fingers because she could feel like she was going to turn over just at the same time as her heart did beneath her chest.

***

"This chicken soup tastes like, I don't know, shit."

Emily cooled another spoonful before gently bringing the spoon into Naomi's lips, letting her sip the warm liquid, Naomi's face turning into a grimace as she swallowed. "It's because of the cold Nai." She answered casually, not taking any offence from Naomi's remark, and scooped another spoonful from the bowl, blowing on it lightly to cool it off a little. "Does it hurt? Your throat, I mean?"

"A bit." Naomi nodded in answer. "It would be worse tomorrow." She shook her head when Emily offered another spoonful, her eyes following Emily's hand as she placed the bowl down on the tray above the nightstand. "That's why I hate being sick."

"We're calling the doctor then." Emily denoted, scooting closer towards Naomi who was comfortably reclining against the stack of pillows placed behind her. She reached out; tucked in the few locks of hair she had caught behind Naomi's ear. "To check up on you."

Naomi tilted her head to let Emily's hand fall to her cheek. "I bloody hate doctors." She murmured with closed eyes, basking on the feeling of the way Emily's thumb was forming circles on her skin, because it made her feel better and lighter in some way. "They ask the same questions all the time."

"Well, you need to see one." Emily glided her hand down from Naomi's shoulder to Naomi's arm, her fingers finding Naomi's on top of her lap, intertwining it with hers. "I'll call the doctor tomorrow yeah?"

"Like I have a choice." Naomi retorted, twisting back slightly to rid of the pillows behind her so she could lie comfortably, bringing their laced hands along with hers as she shifted onto her side.

A small smile broke forth Emily's lips as she chanced a look at their entwined hands, leaning in to plant a kiss just above the scar on Naomi's temple, the one that had marked Naomi for years now ever since the accident, and she exhaled a contented sigh upon feeling a soft, sloppy kiss pressed at the back of her hand, in return, as she went back to watching Naomi slowly drift to sleep.

***

Naomi had gotten sick for four more days.

On one of the nights, where Emily was struggling to stay awake to keep Naomi's medication in time just like the doctor had ordered, she felt Naomi squirming uncomfortably beside her, mumbling things she couldn't really make out. She shifted a bit, propped her elbow against the mattress and watched for a few more seconds until a stray tear fell down on Naomi's cheek. Emily caught it by the pad of her thumb and she gently shook Naomi to wake her up, whispering against Naomi's ear in the process to calm her down somehow.

Naomi finally opened her eyes after struggling with it for a while, blinking the tears away, caused by the nightmare she just recently had. The first thing her gaze had caught, as her vision started to clear up, was Emily's concerned face and she felt like crying again, for no apparent reason, or maybe there was, she just couldn't exactly remember what.

"Hey, it's just a dream." She heard Emily whisper in her ear and her body instantaneously relaxed at the sound of Emily's voice, like it was some sort of sedative. "It's over now."

"You're not going to leave me too, are you?" She asked from out of nowhere; felt her heart ceasing to beat on the spot as she watched the surprise slowly register on Emily's face. She patiently waited for the answer while holding her breath in altogether, although she had no idea why she asked it in the first place.

Blame it on high fever.

She relaxed in an instant, breathing out a sigh of relief when Emily smiled in answer, quickly followed by "No. Why would I even do that?", though for a moment Emily looked like she was about to cry, and Naomi was most certainly sure that she had never felt that relieved in her entire life after hearing Emily's answer.

"Go back to sleep, okay?" Emily said after a beat, and Naomi found herself hesitating to close her eyes at first, not until she felt a kiss pressed on her temple again, over the scar, and she just couldn't help but think that Emily was trying to erase the mark in some way, as well as the horrible things that came along with it, and she thought that a few more of those kisses planted on the scar, and it would actually disappear in some uncanny way, because, well, she could feel _it_ actually fucking working.

Emily, on the other hand, had a sudden inkling to ask the same question back, for her sanity's sake, the first word already at the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it all in the end upon hearing Naomi's even breathing, and she decided to settle for what she had in her hands at the moment; would think about the rest when tomorrow comes.

***

Effy called the next morning.

Naomi was busy tracing the tired lines, which had formed below Emily's eyes, with the tip of her forefinger, her touch ever so light so as to not wake Emily up, supposing that this was the only time that Emily had managed to get some decent rest from watching her the whole night. Her phone rang loudly that it had her jumping and Emily stirring from her sleep. She rolled onto her other side and hurriedly grabbed the offending mobile, chancing a look at Emily who was stretching out, smiling at her when their eyes met. "Hey Eff."

Emily had to fight hard to not let her face drop at the mere mention of Effy's name, forcing out a smile (although her eyes were saying otherwise) when Naomi flumped herself down the bed, beside her, phone still intact, Naomi's free hand settling right next to hers. "Yeah, I'm quite okay now." Naomi flexed her fingers, letting them crawl towards Emily's until she had filled the spaces in between as they intertwined their hands. "Thanks."

It was somehow comforting for Emily, this little gesture, though in a definitely unexplainable way, and her heart slowed down once again from racing, the alarming pace of its pounding calming bit by bit. She shifted around so she was lying on her side, and kissed Naomi's shoulder while Naomi brought their joined hands on top of her belly, letting it drape around it.

"Listen, can I talk to you later?" Naomi said over the phone; scooted closer to Emily that she could feel Emily's nose almost brushing against her ear. "My throat's really not doing well right now. Kind of hurts and it's a bit itchy." She cleared her throat, hunching one of her shoulders up as if she was asking for another kiss, in which Emily had gladly obliged to give. "Really sorry Eff. Yeah, bye." She flipped her phone close, tossed it back, and rolled around to face Emily, prodding Emily's side with a finger until she squirmed. "Hey." Her eyes softened. "You look tired."

"I'm okay, really." Emily answered with a smile, and when Naomi didn't give out a reply, looking all distressed about something, she leaned in and rubbed her nose against Naomi's until Naomi smiled as well, and it turned into a soft kiss. "You feeling better?"

"Mhm." Naomi dipped her head, chin settling on top of Emily's shoulders as she buried her face at the crook of Emily's neck. "I still feel kind of weak though."

Emily slid one arm under Naomi's side, wrapping it around Naomi's waist. "You'll be all well in the next couple of days."

"How long?" Naomi breathed out a sigh, her hot breath tickling Emily's skin that Emily had to bite her lip to suppress a moan from escaping.

"I don't know. Depends on how compliant you would be."

She let out a strangled groan, the mere thought of meds being taken exactly on time and the occasional visits from the doctor, with his repetitive questions, putting her off already. "I wanna go back to work." She untangled their fingers and slowly dragged hers up along Emily's arm, teasingly, leaving raised skin in its wake. "And, you know, do other things."

"You're such a boy." Emily playfully swatted Naomi's hand away, laughing throatily as she watched Naomi feign a gasp and an offended look. She leaned forth and captured Naomi's lips for a short kiss before climbing out of bed. "I'm gonna fix you some breakfast yeah?" She stretched out, wobbling a bit, that for a second Naomi thought Emily was actually going to topple down, until Emily had managed to steady herself by propping a hand against the thankfully near nightstand. "Oh. Head rush."

"Em, I think you should stay in bed." Naomi cried out, apprehensive. "Come back here." She patted the space beside her and eyed Emily with a worried look. "Here, yeah?"

"But what about--"

"We could eat later. I'm not hungry anyway."

Emily reluctantly climbed back to bed, settling in on her previous position, and it wasn't until Naomi had kissed her and told her to get more rest that she relaxed and allowed herself to drift to a decent, longer sleep.

***

Their room turned into something like a hospital room sometime later in the afternoon.

It was Gina who barged in at first, while Naomi was finishing up her lunch, Naomi's eyes instantaneously darting to Emily, shooting her a sharp, accusing glare, and Emily had to shake her head, because, well, she had no idea how Gina found out.

"Naomi, why didn't you call me firsthand? I'm your bloody mother for Christ's sake."

"Relax Mum." Naomi gently dropped the spoon to her bowl, taking the glass of water which Emily handed to her. "It's just flu yeah?"

"It might have been that, that--_that_ flu the news is talking about!" Gina cried out, propping a hand against her hip.

"Well it's not." Naomi brushed off with a roll of her eyes. "Really Mum, you should calm down."

"Why didn't you call me?" Gina turned her head, gaze flickering between Emily and her daughter. "Why didn't any of you?" She sounded so disappointed that Emily felt guilty in an instant for not calling, even guiltier because Emily knew that she was Naomi's mother and she had a right to know.

"I'm sorry Gina if, if I didn't call." Emily spoke after a beat, when it seemed like Naomi wasn't going to say anything at all. She didn't even bother to give out an explanation, knowing that it wouldn't be able to justify anything anyway, besides the fact that, well, _it_ really was inexcusable.

"Yeah, sorry Mum." Naomi murmured sheepishly, her head kept low.

"I know you're trying to be independent love. And I understand that." Gina blew out an exasperated sigh. "But surely, it isn't too much to ask for a phone call."

"It won't happen again Mum, I swear."

"I know you two are trying to work things out together." Gina continued, and Emily felt her body stiffening at Gina's words, eyes bulging wide with worry that thankfully, she had her head bowed down or Gina would have seen the dreadful look in her face. Emily felt Naomi stopping dead as well, and by then, she knew that they were thinking of the same thing: Gina might have found out about the contract. "You're trying to work things out as partners by living together and doing things together." Gina prattled on, too concentrated on what she was saying that she didn't notice the looks of relief washing over both her daughter's and Emily's faces, which later on was followed by utter surprise. "And that you're preparing for marriage--"

Naomi nearly spewed water all over the bed upon hearing her mother's words, the mouthful she had sipped forcefully swallowed, and all too quickly, ensuing into a fit of coughs. "Jesus Mum." She hissed in between. "What are you even talking about?"

Emily was too surprised by how Gina could be so blatant sometimes that she almost had no idea of what was going on around anymore. She stared at the older woman with disbelief, had a sudden inkling to laugh if it wasn't too awkward for the situation, though maybe, it was the best thing to do at the moment, because, really, how could an argument about a phone call that was never made turn into something that involved marriage.

"I'm just saying that I completely understand, is all." Gina answered in a motherly tone while she watched her daughter wipe her lips with the back of her hand, Emily helping later on by handing over sheets of tissue paper when she seemed to have snapped out of her abrupt daze. "It's essential for you two to have some time alone, and that you deal with this kind of situation by yourselves, but still, you had me bloody worried Naomi."

"Mum." Naomi huffed out. "We're not getting married okay? Jesus Christ." She ran a palm along her face, scrunching it hard in the process, and she surreptitiously wished that a high fever would attack her now because she'd rather opt to lie down while shivering than be on this kind of conversation with her mother, of all people, and with Emily on the same room.

"I didn't say now, or any time soon, but, well you know--"

"How's blondie doing?" A loud cry came from the doorway and Naomi had never been pleased to see Cook in her whole life. He excitedly skipped towards the foot of the bed with a stupid grin plastered in his face, one which Naomi couldn't help but return with a genuine smile, well, out of gratitude for saving her and Emily from the most conversation ever. Katie followed him, strutting towards the foot of the bed as well with Pandora in tow.

"Naomi! How are you doing?" Panda shouted all of a sudden, making them all jump. "Oh, hello there Mrs. Campbell. It's good to see you again!"

"Good to see you too Pandora." Gina greeted back, looking all amused with the amount of people occupying the room, since she had always known that Naomi only had a friend or two.

"Hey." Katie called out, nodding at Naomi. "You okay now?"

"Getting there." Naomi answered, hand subtly stretching out to reach and take Emily's. "Your sister makes a good nurse."

Gina's eyes flickered between Katie and Emily. "Emily dear, I didn't know you have a twin."

"Oh, yeah, I do." Emily beamed. "Gina, this is Katie." She pointed out. "Katie this is Gina, Naomi's mum."

Katie held out a hand and politely shook Gina's. "I'm also Naomi's fashion stylist."

"And assistant Katie." Naomi quickly followed with a light chuckle, knowing how much Katie hated that part of the job. "And assistant."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Right."

"And this young man?"

"That's Katie's boyfriend Mum." Naomi answered. "Cook."

"Pleased to meet you Gina." He wiped his hand on his shirt before stretching out to shake Gina's as well. "Naomi had told me a lot of things about you."

"Really?" Gina blurted out, surprised and a little bit skeptic.

"No Mum." It was Naomi. "I hardly even talk to you, you twat."

"Oi, I'm trying to be polite here yeah? And make friendly talks with your Mum." He winced when Katie elbowed him hard on the rib.

"Tomo wants to give you balloons Naomi." Panda excitedly called out. "Come on Cookie, give it to her." She clasped her hands together and grinned stupidly, her breath _actually_ held in as she waited for Naomi's reaction.

Naomi stared blankly at the mass of balloons that Cook had produced behind him, her expression torn between laughing altogether as if it was all a joke, or actually appreciating the adorable thing that Thomas had given her, well, because, she didn't do adorable. But it was a nice gesture anyway, and she was pretty sure that Thomas only meant good. "Panda, say thanks to Thomas for me." She decided to settle for the latter, though she still couldn't help but find the balloons rather amusing, and so childish, especially when Cook started to tie them at the poles of the headboard.

"He went ape when you didn't show up for work two days ago Naomi. He bloody flipped all over the room."

"I figured."

"But then Emily called at the office and talked to him and he stopped going bonkers." Panda continued. "I think I'm in Emily's debt forever. I really thought he was going to eat me."

Cook and Katie both snorted laughter while Naomi struggled to keep a straight face, amidst the laughter bubbling up inside her and Emily's shaking shoulders.

"Eat you." Cook repeated into which Panda animatedly nodded at.

Emily took one deep breath to hold herself together because she was nearly cracking up. "It's nothing Panda."

Pandora offered a wide smile, her face dropping to what seemed like concern not long after. "You look like a flippin' zombie Emily."

"Excuse me?"

Katie burst out laughing with Cook howling alongside her.

"No, no, no." She shook her head and her hands. "I didn't mean it in a bad way."

Emily turned and shot a glare towards Naomi's direction, pinching her by the side when she didn't stop laughing, and Naomi had to press her lips together to stifle the next round of laughter she could feel bubbling up.

"It's just because you've got dark circles under your eyes. You haven't slept for days, have you?"

"Panda, I'm fne." Emily answered with an assuring smile, which grew wider later on as she felt Naomi's arm snaking around her waist, pulling her closer. "Really."

As far as Emily knew, she never felt any better.

***

When everybody had seemed to engage into a conversation of their own, Cook talking to Pandora and Gina tending to her daughter while sending Emily off to a rest, Katie took the opportunity and nodded subtly at Emily, cocking her head towards the doorway's direction, with a look so serious that the words "We've got trouble" was written all over her face.

Emily studiously followed Katie outside, her forehead furrowing into several layers of creases as she walked behind the older twin. Katie chose the now empty room, which used to be Emily's old one, closing the door behind her once Emily had stepped inside.

"What it is Katie?" Emily asked, anxious. "Something wrong?"

Katie turned around, her arms already folded above her chest. "Has Thomas called yet?"

"When? Today?"

"Yeah. Or even the past few days?"

Emily tipped her head up, as if she was trying to recall something, and shifted her weight on her other leg. "No. I don't remember him calling."

"What about Effy?"

"She called Naomi once." Emily answered, watching Katie squint her eyes in a rather skeptical manner.

"What did she say?"

"They didn't talk much. I think she was just checking up on Naomi."

"Checking up my arse." Katie hissed sharply, grumbling something under her breath which only made Emily more fidgety than she already was.

"Is there something I need to know Kay?" Emily asked after a few beats, bottom lip caught in between her teeth as she waited for Katie's answer. She knew her twin too well that she could already tell that Katie had nothing but bad news.

"Naomi's flying to New York in two days." Katie replied flatly.

"And?"

Katie's brow arched up high, looking at Emily like she was asking the most ridiculous question one person could ask. "With Effy."

Emily closed her eyes and heaved a deep breath, before batting them open again. She was too tired to think about anything at all, let alone, process things. "I should be worried?"

"Christ's sake Emily." Katie huffed out, punctuating each word with a strong exhalation of breath. "Of course you should be worried."

"Why?"

"Because it's just the two of them who's going yeah?"

"Hang on." Emily took a few steps back, face pulling up into a confused grimace. "You're not going with them?"

"No." Katie shook her head. "Thomas told me that it's just the two of them, since only two are needed. And it's Effy who's sponsoring the show." She watched as the back of Emily's knees hit the edge of the bed, her twin flumping down the mattress with a blanched look in her face, as if Emily had become weak and drained all of a sudden, and Katie couldn't help but follow, arms wrapping around Emily's shoulders in an instant. "Ems--"

Emily took a hard swallow, Effy's words earlier ringing in her ears, almost too mockingly. "She knows Katie."

"Knows what?"

"She knows about the contract." She slowly turned her head, facing her twin, and her eyes were already mirroring fear in them. "She told me that she knows."

"Oh God." Katie froze for a few beats, arms stiffening. "No way. How did that even happen?"

"I don't know."

"What did she say?"

Emily hesitated for a moment, her lips quivering uncontrollably already even if she was just merely thinking of the words she was about to say. "She's going to get her back Kay." She blinked a few times as she placed her hand on top of Katie's knee. "She means it."

Katie stayed in silence, didn't say another word as she gave Emily's shoulders a gentle squeeze, working her mind instead, because by the looks of things, a two-person trip was just out of the equation.


	42. Twitter

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 41

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_In the end, she settled for the mixture of both, and it was just enough to stop her from crying or tossing up altogether, since both of those feelings were nauseating when taken unreservedly anyway._

**A/N:** Sorry for the super delay. I had to gather my thoughts back _again_ . Thanks for sticking with me though! Means a lot! Hope you all like this one, had a bit of a hard time getting this out so….. *crosses fingers*

Special shout out to Sam, Melo, Sophia, Nicky, Inga, Pam, Susie, Skye, Harley, Nat and Chantal :) Thanks loads guys!

It was Katie who broke the news to Naomi, when everybody had seemed to sod off to God knows where, leaving the whole room occupied by Naomi alone. Cook was nowhere in sight and Gina and Pandora had already left, well, as Katie supposed.

She peeked her head by the door first, for a mere second, and when she saw Naomi reclining comfortably while flipping through the pages of the magazine she had brought, in which Naomi herself was the cover, she cleared her throat to somehow make her presence known, slipping inside in deliberate steps without waiting to be invited at all.

Naomi's head snapped up, rather hastily. "Hey." The corner of her lips were twitching to what Katie supposed was a smile, but her face abruptly turned quizzical. "Where's Em?"

"She's in the other room, sleeping." Katie answered casually, had to look around to check if they were indeed just the ones inside. "She's knackered."

"Oh, I see." Naomi nodded in understanding, and she breathed out a sigh so deep and somewhat concerned, her face dropping in an instant like she was actually blaming herself for the state of which Emily was in now, that Katie felt a sudden inkling to take her words back and tell Naomi that it was, well, normal for a person to get sick; she wasn't to blame for any of it. "She's really tired. She's been up most of the time."

Katie shifted her weight on her other leg, before opting to just sit at the edge of the bed. "A bit spent, but she'll be alright." She tried to assure, conjuring up a smile from out of nowhere despite of the many thoughts running inside her head. It wasn't supposed to be of a big deal, wasn't her problem actually but rather Emily's, but she just couldn't _not_ meddle with it. Call it sister responsibilities or whatever. "So--" She started, pausing instantly, because she actually didn't know how to phrase the words out without sounding stupid at all, because_ you and Effy can't go by yourselves or you'll break Emily's heart _sounded really fucking pathetic in some sense. "New York in two days."

It wasn't a question, more like stating a fact, but it still confused Naomi. "Huh?" She furrowed her forehead, tossed the magazine aside while eyeing Katie with a puzzled look. "New York?"

"Yeah. Fashion show coming up." Katie replied, the way she would normally tell Naomi about her upcoming schedule of activities. "It's going to be held in New York."

The creases on Naomi's forehead, first formed merely out of confusion, quickly turned into a full scowl. "And I'm being told just now?"

"I only found out about it this morning." Katie hunched her shoulders lightly.

"How long are we going to be there?"

"A week." She scooted over the mattress, moving much closer to Naomi and facing her completely. "Or so."

For a second, Naomi looked like her head was going to explode, and she had to pinch the bridge of her nose hard to calm her down in some way, because she had always hated things that came in such short notice. "They want us to be there in a week and they're letting us know this late." She exclaimed through gritted teeth, looking at Katie like she was forcing her to agree.

Katie huffed out a few breaths, fingers closing into fists, crumpling the sheets along with them as they curl. "Actually Naomi." She paused, tipped her head up and she sighed. "I'm not coming with you. It's just you and Effy."

"Me and Effy." Naomi repeated in clarification, and then she was lost in her thoughts the following moment that Katie had a sudden fear to find out what exactly was going inside Naomi's head, that Naomi might find the idea rather inviting and she'd actually agree to it. And, she could only imagine the amount of pain it would probably cost Emily.

A few more seconds of silence, and Katie felt like slapping Naomi or something merely to induce any reaction from her, just because the silence was doing Katie's head in, and she was almost raising her hand from the sheets, until thankfully, Naomi had finally decided to speak. "Why just the two of us?"

"Thomas said that Effy's sponsoring the show." Katie answered warily.

"And?"

"Only two people are allowed to go." She watched as Naomi dwelled in silence once again, looking all bewildered with something, and it was then that she noticed her heart beating hard beneath her chest, almost breaking out of its way.

"Two people." Naomi mumbled, and Katie could feel her heart constricting right on the spot because it would seem like Naomi was _actually_ considering the idea. And she started filling her head with reasons she could voice out if needed, like gun ammos being loaded in the magazine, just so she could stop this from happening, a week in New York with Naomi and Effy alone. It was a big no-no in Katie's books. "That's fucking ridiculous." Naomi exclaimed all of a sudden, with a light shake of the head and Katie found herself exhaling relief, letting out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding since she had stepped inside Naomi's room.

The corner of her lips twitched up into a triumphant smirk as she watched Naomi twist around, reaching for her mobile lying by the nightstand, and she could only presume that Naomi was going to phone Thomas.

Problem solved, well, at least for now. She'd brace herself for the other things she was sure would come along, when they're already in New York.

***

"How long will you be away?" Emily asked the next day while her hands reached for a particular top, folding it with such practiced ease before stuffing it inside on one of the huge suitcases that Naomi had thrown open on top of the bed. She could hear Naomi's halting movements, the sounds of the rustling of clothes and the drawers being opened and closed stopping altogether, and it turned awfully quiet for a second or so.

"A week." Naomi answered, her voice coming out of the walk-in wardrobe faintly.

Emily reached for another top and a skirt, folding it as neatly as the other ones she had had done earlier. "Oh, okay." She murmured softly and pressed her lips in a thin line before she could even blurt out something utterly stupid or sappy like _I'll miss you so much_ or _don't share rooms with Effy_, because she didn't want to sound pathetic at all, let alone, jealous. Even though Katie was coming with them, much to Naomi's insistence, she still couldn't help but think of the endless possibilities of what could happen, and they were swimming all around inside her head, because _it_ was New York and one week was long enough for things to change, or force them to.

Naomi emerged from out of the huge wardrobe, which was ridiculously big enough for a person to room in, and crept behind Emily ever so quietly, her arms wrapping around Emily's waist from behind, without fair warning that it made Emily jump a tad bit. She chuckled softly. "I'll call you every time I can." She murmured to Emily's ear, tone reassuring, gently dropping her chin on top of Emily's shoulders afterwards. "I promise."

Emily heaved a deep breath and leaned backwards, allowing a quarter of her weight to fall onto Naomi. "You don't have to check on me every day." She answered half-heartedly to avoid sounding so needy, fingers finding Naomi's and lacing them together. "Just call once in a while, I'm okay with that."

Naomi unknotted their hands and turned Emily around to face her, her lips shaped up to a small smile. "Do you want me to bring you anything when I come back?"

"The Statue of Liberty?" Emily answered after a few beats of serious thinking, following it with a light laugh.

"Really clever Em." Naomi snorted and rolled her eyes. "No, really, what do you want?"

Emily shook her head, biting her bottom lip in the process to stop herself from saying something in the same context of _just stay here and don't leave_, because, well, it was just such an unreasonable thing to ask for. "I'm sure you'll find something fantastic." She smiled as Naomi pulled her into a tight embrace, and it felt nice because they barely do hugs when they're together (it was either kissing or making out or something more), enjoyed it actually, this nice change, though she tried not to put much meaning behind it.

***

When Naomi's day of the flight came, she purposely asked Emily to just stay at home and not to take her to the airport, giving out a totally lame reason when Emily asked why. "The paparazzi will just annoy the crap out of you." She stated matter-of-factly, since she was almost certain that her trip to New York with Effy would be stirring up some news, and she wouldn't be surprised if she made it to the headlines again the next day.

Emily, on the other hand, was torn on what to feel exactly, whether she should be thankful or disappointed for the entire thing, because as much as she wanted to see Naomi before she had to leave for a week, she didn't want to see Effy's sickening smirk that she was pretty much sure Effy would be wearing the whole time, for known and unknown reasons.

In the end, she settled for the mixture of both, and it was just enough to stop her from crying or tossing up altogether, since both of those feelings were nauseating when taken unreservedly anyway.

***

"Character." Emily tapped her pen impatiently against her desk, shifting forwards a little as her open palm caught her chin, while she leaned her elbow on top of the wooden surface. "I need a character." Taking the quietness of the house and her temporary alone time as an opportunity, she decided to work on her novel which appeared to have been untouched for ages, what with the whirlwind of things that came around.

She slammed the pen after a few beats of uttermost brainstorming, and flumped on the swivel chair wearily, her back hitting the rest with a dull thud that bounced around the whole house. She kicked the floor, sending the chair into a short spin, and when her eyes caught a certain photo frame standing at the corner of her desk, an idea flicked inside her head and she felt like kicking herself for not thinking about it before. She drew her heel down, bringing the spinning chair into a complete stop, and grabbed the edge of her desk as she pulled herself closer once again, the pen meeting the paper immediately as she scribbled down quickly, more like excitedly actually. "Name:" She mouthed while writing. "Naomi." She finished with a period and a light giggle, proceeding to write the next line. "Career: Super Model." Another line. "She's kind of tall, and her face is, is--" She paused and tilted her head slightly, choosing whether to write 'pretty' or 'gorgeous' or 'beautiful' or maybe all of those, though it would make her look like a creepy and obsessed fan girl in some way.

'Stunning' was what she settled for; believed that it was the word she was exactly looking for.

"Personality:" She murmured, giggling at once as she remembered some of the most hilarious things Naomi had done, though before they weren't even funny at all, mostly infuriating actually, but now that she had looked back at them, she couldn't help a smile from coming out. "She has mood swings that change almost every bloody minute." A 'tsk' sound escaped from her lips while crossing out the misspelled word she had accidentally made. "She seems to have a certain disorder or something." She laughed softly as she recalled how pissed off Naomi could easily be of things, like that time when Naomi was teaching her to ride a bike back when they were in Barcelona, and her wide grin turned into a soft smile as she chanced another glance towards the framed picture again, her eyes settling on the 'accidental kiss' that probably marked the beginning of the huge and somewhat maddening changes she had been into during the past months.

She stared at the picture probably longer than she had been meaning to, and tore her gaze away in haste when she seemed to have snapped out of it, to focus on what she was writing instead, because the longer she looked, the more she missed Naomi. "She's not naturally sweet, but when she's trying to be, she's probably the sweetest person around." She smiled as she scrawled down continuously, remembering the little things that Naomi had done for her, as well as the grand gestures that she absolutely had no words for.

After a few minutes of aimless doodling, wherein Emily had managed to draw a pair of eyes somewhere along the blank space of her notes, sighing at the sight of the drawing once she realized what she had actually done (because, well, it didn't really provide any help regarding the _how to not miss your girlfriend so much_ aspect of things), she moved onto the next bit of the character profile she was making, which wasn't of any help either since it was all about Naomi. Though looking at the bright side of things, she rather enjoyed writing it.

The final part went this way:

_Family: A mum, a chauffeur and a brilliant girlfriend named Emily._

Right next to the period was a small heart she doodled absentmindedly.

***

JJ came over at dinner, with a take out of Chinese food in one hand, a pizza box in the other and a small bag slung in his shoulder, much to Emily's surprise, and his first words were "Naomi told me to _sleep with you_ for the whole week so I'm gonna be staying here for a while." And when her eyes widened at his words, which somehow made JJ realize the probable meanings of what he said, he began to shake his head a bit too animatedly, along with his hands that the soda he had brought with him were spilling out of their cups, and he began stuttering unremittingly. "No, no, no, no. I didn't mean it that way. I mean I'd sleep here but not in the same room with you or even in the same bed with you because Naomi would kill me if that ever happens."

It was then when she had started to laugh that JJ finally stopped rambling, scrunching his face first for about a beat, out of embarrassment, before smiling at her sheepishly. "She said she'd beat the life out of me if I don't give you a good company."

"Don't worry, I won't tell her if you didn't."

***

"Fuck's sake. You've been listening to the same song for hours now." Effy exclaimed with a light banter; tossed her bag of toiletries at her own bed.

"Get your own bloody room if you don't want to hear it." Naomi answered, half heartedly rolling her eyes at Effy, and turned the volume of her laptop much higher than it already was.

"You never listen to those kinds of songs." Effy stood upright, twisting around to chance a look at Naomi who was seated at the middle of her own bed. "You were always the 'I don't give a crap about music' type."

"Yeah, well." Naomi paused; smoothed the tiny crumple she saw on one of the tops that Emily had folded, her hand recoiling in an instant when she realized what she was doing, and she suddenly felt like she was turning into some kind of OCD or something. "It's a nice song." She answered casually.

Katie emerged from the doorway of their three-bedded hotel room, with shoe boxes clutched in hand, and made an exaggerated 'pffft' noise as she strutted towards her own bed down at the far left corner of the room where her huge pink suitcase was lying. "Nice?" She flumped down while the soft mattress sunk in with her weight. "It's fucking cheesy. God, even the title's like--I don't even know what to call it."

"You don't even know what the title is." Naomi retorted as she rolled over the bed, which was placed in between Effy's and Katie's, both with a considerable amount of distance away from her, and reached forth to her nightstand to place her mobile down securely, right next to the lamp. "And, just because it doesn't sound Lady Gaga-ish doesn't mean that it isn't a nice song."

Katie snorted a protest, face cringing so tight while she listened to the song's lyrics for the first time ever since it started playing, and she grinned at Naomi not long after, one that had 'I know why you're listening to it' in context, and it was fucking written all over her face that Naomi had a sudden inkling to reach out and wipe it off. "You're missing Emily already." She stated rather firmly, and conjured an 'awww' sound from out of nowhere while laughing at the surprised and somewhat busted look that abruptly took over Naomi's face.

"What?" Naomi blurted out, but only after a few beats of blushing in silence. "No I'm not." She shook her head animatedly that it only caused Katie's stupid grin to grow wider and spread almost at the whole length of Katie's face.

"Right."

She stooped and clicked on next, ignoring Katie altogether as she reverted back to her previous comfortable position, the strummed music filling the air a second after.

"Oh, Incubus. Classy." Katie snorted laughter and if she just wasn't fucking pregnant, Naomi could've throttled her or something. "I miss you, right?"

Naomi ran a palm along her face because she could actually hear what Katie was implying in her tone, mumbling "Another nice song." so unconvincingly that Katie just ended up grinning again.

Katie breathed out an exaggerated sigh; tipped her head up. "It's been what? One day? God, how would you last one week?"

Naomi pressed her lips together, fixing her eyes at the screen of her laptop instead with a small frown. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right." A shrug rolled out of Katie's shoulders as she stood up to go to the bathroom, a devious plan abruptly popping in her head. "Emily's calling." She grinned widely upon hearing the sudden rustling of the covers, laughing altogether when she heard Naomi shouting her name not long after, in a rather aggravated tone, because, well, Naomi had seemed to forget the fact that mobile phones should actually be ringing first when someone was calling, and that was just because she had mentioned her sister's name.

She caught a glimpse of Effy smoking by the living room window while on her way, and she wondered for a second how Effy had managed to slip out of the room without being noticed at all, though upon seeing the huge scowl on Effy's face, she couldn't help the smile that broke forth her lips, patting herself on the back for a job well done.

***

Naomi didn't call for two days.

Emily received a short e-mail instead, about mid-day in Bristol and early morning in New York (there was a five-hour distance), and it said that the rehearsals at the studio had been cancelled because of the heavy rain and traveling became highly impossible, which left Naomi, Effy, and Katie all locked up in their hotel room since they weren't allowed to leave.

The only solution they found to cure their boredom: Twitter.

***

Emily stared blankly at the screen for a while, reading the words _we're all Twitter buddies now_ over and over, because she just couldn't decipher the meaning of it, of what the hell was Naomi actually referring to. She blinked a few times, mouthing word per word haltingly, until she just gave up thinking altogether and turned around to ask JJ, who was busy fiddling with the game pad of Naomi's Xbox 360, his tongue darting out from time to time merely out of concentration towards whatever he was playing. "JJ." She softly called out, repeating it two more times when JJ seemed to have not heard her.

The sounds coming from the tv abruptly ceased. "Yes Emily?"

She threw him a quizzical look. "What is Twitter?"

JJ tilted his head, lips curling to the side. "It's a free social networking site. Like a micro-blogging thing."

"What?"

"It's basically like sending a text message but just through the internet. It kind of works the same way as mobile phones do."

"Oh, right." She nodded lightly in answer, though still puzzled, and returned her attention back to the screen, searching for Twitter in an instant when her browser popped out. She was staring at it oddly again, once the page had been successfully loaded, and it had to take JJ's patient tutoring for her to actually learn how to navigate around the site.

After typing Naomi's username, apparently NaiCampbell was it, the screen was bombarded with several messages that JJ called 'tweets', if she heard him right. Some of them were answering fans' questions, some just random blurbs like how Naomi was telling everybody that it was the real her, and that it had been confirmed at Naomi's website already, in which Emily didn't even know existed, and certain stuff like those.

She scrolled down further and found a certain tweet which made her roar with laughter, that JJ had to get off the couch and check up on her. "Read." She muttered in between laughs, pointing at the screen.

"People, please add KatieIsFit and tweet her loads so she can stop ravaging around the fridge and eating all our food." JJ mouthed, grinning widely as soon as he finished reading. "Looks like Katie's got one too."

"Yeah, I think." Emily clicked on Katie's name, and the stuff written on Katie's bio and her tweets made her laugh even more. "Head Bitch in Charge. Creative."

***

A few minutes of struggling and Emily had finally gotten the hang of Twitter, navigating around the site without needing JJ to instruct her anymore. She was reading through the messages, refreshing the page from time to time to check if there were new ones coming along, and she couldn't help but find Naomi and Katie's tweet war a little bit adorable, wondering how the two of them had gotten along, or at least had gotten civil with each other if not fully, in such little time when they used to hate each other's guts before.

Katie's messages kept on talking about how Naomi was playing the same set of songs ever since they had arrived and how she wished that Naomi would change it into something upbeat and more lively, into which Naomi replied with a '_I'll have people move your bed to the kitchen if you don't like them. Right next to the fridge since you're pretty much eating the whole day.'_

"They're bloody hilarious." JJ blurted out, making Emily jump a little since she didn't notice him creeping up by her side. "Sorry."

Emily smiled in return. "Yeah, they are." She murmured and a small laugh followed not long after when the next tweet came along, which had gone by these lines: '_Katie's being all hormonal again, and she's moping around, missing her boyfriend. Ewww.'_

"Check out Katie's reply."

Emily moved the mouse and clicked at Katie's username, her '_you've got thousands of followers so tweet more sensible stuff coz you're boring them to tears'_ of a reply screaming at black, bold letters, and Emily effortlessly joined JJ's chuckles, just because.

Naomi's reply: '_hormonal preggo. Haha'._

"I've got a feeling that this is going to last the whole day."

***

Not all tweets were funny, Emily had realized it just now.

She and JJ exchanged glances upon reading a tweet that said '_if Katie's annoying you that much, come sit at my bed'_, which came from a user named _EffStonem_, with a '_good idea, moving now' _as a reply coming from Naomi, and Emily could feel her hands stiffening right on the spot, because what followed next (after a few minutes of just staring blankly at the screen while the page was flooded with tweets of Effy and Naomi's banter/ flirting, or whatever) was an uploaded picture of them both, with Effy not facing the camera because she was planting a fucking kiss at Naomi's cheek, and Naomi was just, just smiling in there and not doing anything about it. She felt like her head was going to implode at some point as she continued to stare at the image, and she couldn't bring herself to actually close it, like all her strength suddenly went down the drain, albeit having no idea why.

"Emily, are you alright?" JJ worriedly asked upon noticing that she hadn't even let out a single blink. "Hey, it's just a friendly kiss. I'm sure."

Seconds passed. "Yeah, yeah." She forced out a smile. "I'm just being silly, don't mind me."

It wasn't the picture that hit a nerve though, it were the offhand messages that came right after it, when people had started asking if they were dating and stuff, Naomi's answer going by the lines of '_nope, just best mates. We do that all the time'_, which made Emily's heart constrict tight while the last few words rung in her ears over and over.

_All the time._

Effy's answer: '_Yep, just best mates, I love her though :P'_, made her want to close her eyes and never open them again, just so she wouldn't see Naomi's reply, which, she was almost entirely sure would be an '_I love you too'_.

And it turned out exactly as what she had just expected.

"It's just friendly banter Emily." JJ tried to comfort. "I'm sure."

She swallowed hard because she was finding it hard to breath, her resolve slipping slowly from her fingers like sand, and it was pathetic in some sense since they were said over the internet, where words like those could actually mean anything, but it felt so close to the real thing, well, at least for her, so close that it was nearly making her cry, her tears on the very verge of falling. "Yeah, they're just probably kidding around." She barely whispered, her voice cracking in the process.

JJ wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, it's nothing. I'm positive." He consoled, somehow having an idea of what this was all about since he wasn't that daft when it came to these things, contrary to what most people thought about him. He wasn't an expert, but he _did_ know how to put things together and make a conclusion out of it.

***

Emily was nearly giving up on technology, particularly Twitter, since it was more of a headache for her than an entertainment, to be honest, and the reactions of the thousands of followers, in which she labeled as the 'rest of the world', wasn't helping one bit to what she was feeling, because words such as _OMG you and Effy look so good together *squee*_, and _I wish you two were dating_, and the likes weren't offering any solace to her already faltering resolve as well as her growing insecurities, and it was just so dejecting sometimes that Emily felt like she'd rather spend a whole day with Cook whom she despised the most, than read messages that constantly remind her of things she didn't want to be reminded of, as if it was being drilled to her head so she wouldn't forget.

She read the next tweet, the last one she promised herself to be reading, since keeping track of it for almost half of the day was enough torture already, and it took her all the effort not to jump and run around in circles just because she was mentioned in it, one thing she had never expected to happen.

Naomi's message had gone this way:

'_Phone signal's finally back! Gotta go and call Emily. It's been ages. :)'_

And it was in Katie's reply (something that said: '_She's been waiting all day. What kind of girlfriend are you?'_) that she noticed the change in Naomi's name, from NaiCampbell to NaiNaiCampbell, and she had to grip the arm rest tight just to keep herself on hold and stop her arms from flailing around like mad. Oddly because it felt like she was being introduced to the world in some way, of what her stand was, and she couldn't help the unexplainable, overwhelming feeling rising above her chest, just because.

'_I know. That's why I'm calling her now._' quickly appeared when she refreshed the page, and in a matter of seconds, her mobile phone was ringing at the far corner of her desk. She grabbed it in such haste that she nearly dropped it, fumbling with the mobile for a little bit before she was finally able to press the green button and answer the call. She heard Naomi's voice on the other line, and it was by far the biggest relief she had ever got in the past few days.

It was funny how a little thing or two could turn everything else huge around.

***

For a short moment, Katie had seen why Naomi seemed to be so enthralled with Effy.

They were in the middle of a taped interview, one which will be aired sometime in the same week, seated altogether in a couch with Naomi wedged between her and Effy. Effy tilted her head slightly at some part of it, as if bracing herself for the question to be thrown her way, and smiled so genuinely that Katie had forgotten momentarily why she hated Effy so much. There was something in the way that Effy smiled, like, really smile and not smirk, something unexplainable and she somehow understood the reason why Effy seemed to be so captivating sometimes.

A quirk of the eyebrow and a meaningful look thrown towards Naomi's direction, and Katie's opinion changed in an instant.

***

Exactly one week after Naomi left, the interview was aired.

Emily turned the telly on, eyes heavily lidded because it was past three in the morning for sodding out loud, and she was cursing the network for opting to show Naomi's interview at around ten in the evening, New York time. She flumped down the couch and turned the recorder on, just in case she would fall asleep in the middle of the whole thing, because she could actually feel the drowsiness almost taking over, and if not for the will to stay up and catch a glimpse of Naomi, she would have given up by now, because, well, she hadn't seen her for one fucking week, and it never crossed her mind that it would actually be that hard.

The opening credits of the show made her jump, her half closed eyes opening widely as she heard Naomi, Katie and Effy being introduced, and it was keeping her awake already, not because of excitement but of something else entirely different.

The questions were being juggled between them three and every time the camera zoomed in, showing Effy and Naomi on the screen, her heart would constrict on the spot, because they looked so damn good together that it felt so dejecting in some way, and suddenly, she wasn't sure if she could even stand watching the rest of it anymore.

She had thought that Twitter was going to be the worst possible thing, but apparently, she was wrong.

It was the flirting touches and the longing looks she could see right on the screen, ones that Effy would often initiate and Naomi would reciprocate in some way, that was doing her head in, along with the comments she had read earlier, and it hit her full force, the realization of how disproportioned their relationship was, and how she seemed to be lacking a lot of things.

She used to not care about what others say, but after having a large number of people telling Naomi that she was not worthy of Naomi's attention, and that it was Effy who Naomi should be with instead, it became hard to ignore these things, because they were just so blatant and straightforwardly thrown, scarring her deeply like daggers, and she wasn't sure anymore if she'd be able to handle the things that came with Naomi's fame.

It was all suddenly sinking in to her, how their relationship was lying at the tip of a pinnacle, and the more she made an effort to keep them balanced, the more they topple over.

***

Normally, people would look forward to coming home, but with Naomi, it wasn't the case, well it was, until she actually got home.

She hauled her suitcase inside, leaving it by the doorway as soon as she caught a glimpse of Emily's upright figure stood by the glass window, one which was facing the beach's direction, and she walked with an extra bounce in her steps, almost legged their distance actually just so she could reach Emily as soon as she could, butterflies fluttering inside her stomach as she took each step.

But she stopped mid-way when Emily quickly turned around, her face looking all pained, like she was going to cry or toss up or something, and for a moment she was torn between running to her and asking her what was wrong, or staying right on her place because there was something off with Emily's expression that was a little bit frightening in some way, though what scared her most was that certain fiery glint dancing in Emily's eyes, for known and unknown reasons, and she could feel her heart beating wildly beneath her chest, just because. "Hey." She greeted, rather warily.

"Hey." Emily forced out a smile, and it came out so strained that it actually looked like a lopsided frown to Naomi. "Didn't know you were coming home today."

"Yeah, about that." Naomi lifted her hand, fingers scratching along the back of her neck.

"Why didn't you call?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise." Naomi answered with a half smile as she closed the space between her and Emily, arms instantaneously finding Emily's waist, circling around with ease, like it was the most natural thing to do.

"Oh, right."

A small scowl formed along the creases of Naomi's forehead. "You alright?"

Emily pressed her lips together and just stared at Naomi with an indecipherable look in her face, her gaze lingering for a good while. "It's nothing." She brushed off; turned her head to the side. "Just, don't mind me."

"Emily."

"I said don't mind me." She unknotted Naomi's arms, dropping them forcefully to both her sides as she pushed past Naomi, walking away from her before she could even say or do something stupid, worse, hurtful. But Naomi was too quick for her, grabbing her by the wrist before she could completely disappear from Naomi's sight.

"What the--" Naomi exclaimed as she turned Emily around to face her. "What the hell is wrong?"

"I said it's nothing."

"I'm not stupid Emily. I know when something's up."

Emily's eyes turned into a dangerous squint, the color of her whole face slowly turning into a deep shade of red. "Are you completely unaware that Effy flirts with you, or do you just enjoy it so much?" She snapped, out of nowhere, and it caught Naomi entirely off guard that she dropped Emily's hand in an instant, like Emily's skin was suddenly burning hers.

"What?" Naomi exclaimed as she struggled to keep a straight face, though her clenched jaw pretty much indicated her already agitated state, because, really, she was feeling extremely knackered and was slightly expecting a warm welcome, but she came home with a hostile one instead. "Jesus Christ Emily, I just came home yeah? Don't start."

"Why not?" Emily spat back, almost too harshly, a tone she had never used before. "Because it's true? That you're actually enjoying it?" She could feel her whole body shaking, the bottled up emotions starting to spill, bit by bit.

"Fuck's sake."

"See, you--"

"I said don't fucking start." Naomi shrieked out loud, making Emily flinch, and she could feel a pang of guilt rushing all over her for shouting upon seeing the way Emily's face faltered, that for a moment Emily looked like she was under such excruciating pain and somehow Naomi thought that she was going to cry, though Emily's face hardened in an instant before she could even utter another word.

Emily was fuming from where she was stood but decided to drop things for the betterment of it, and she turned to leave, this time heading to the front door and not the staircase.

"So now what? You're going to leave after having a go at me? Just like that?"

"We're both not in the mood to talk about it." Emily answered in a heavy tone without looking back.

Naomi snorted out frustration; rolled her eyes as she propped her arms against both of her hips. "Talk about what?" She dislodged one hand, letting its fingers run along the length of her temple and forehead, then sliding them down to pinch the bridge of her nose, her whole body almost shaking with weariness and agitation. "I don't even know what your problem is. Why you're acting like this." She watched as Emily's squared shoulders slump down, trembling a little bit, although she could see the fight that Emily was putting for the shaking to stop. She took a tentative step forwards, bringing her closer to Emily, yet still with a fair distance away, just in case something would happen, but not like she was actually expecting something to occur, because, really, she had just arrived and could really use a good rest, and a fucking kiss she'd been craving the whole week, though she was in denial of it. "Emily, will you--will you just tell me what the fuck is this all about?"

Emily closed her eyes and blinked a few more times, feeling the stream of tears threatening to fall, and she had to swallow hard to push them aside, because she knew she shouldn't cry, because crying somehow meant defeat, meant conceding, and she just about lost almost every battle she had gone into by shedding tears.

"Emily." Naomi called out, _again_, in a rather impatient manner."Is this about--"

"It's about everything." Emily interjected, breaking Naomi off, and she spun around in haste, her eyes already brimming with tears but the look on her face was saying otherwise. "About you. About me. About us. About Effy." She huffed out, punctuating each phrase with a sharp breath. "Everything."

Naomi blew out an exasperated breath as she ran a palm along her whole face, neck tipping back, her temper slowly slipping from her hold. "What's wrong with us? Because as far as I can remember, we were okay before I left."

"Yeah." Emily answered sternly. "But that was until you created that fucking Twitter account and--"

"That was for marketing and promotional purposes for Christ's sake!"

"Were the pictures for promotion purposes as well?"

Emily's tone was so accusing that it surprised Naomi entirely, and for a moment she wondered where all of these things were coming from, until it suddenly hit her, how big of a deal this was, not just some petty, random fight that Emily was trying to start, because in the first place, Emily was never the one to start a fight between them. "What the fuck?" She pushed the words out through gritted teeth. "We were just messing around because we were bored. The fuck are we supposed to do?"

"Right." Emily snorted. "Messing around."

"Why are you even making a big deal out of it?" Naomi snapped back, her patience reaching the end of its thread.

"What?" Emily hissed. "I'm not."

"Then what are you doing?"

"I am asking you, if you were really unaware of it, or you're just that daft to notice."

"Notice what?" Naomi's voice rose up a notch, the shrill sound bouncing on all the corners of the house.

"That Effy is flirting with you and you are enjoying it!"

There was a minute of silence that fell between the two of them, as the tension grew stronger, and Emily's hand crawled up to her lips, covering them upon realizing what had just came out. She never meant to say it in that manner, would actually opt to resolving things calmly, but everything just became too much and she was as confused as ever, could feel like she was hanging by a thread and that she was bound to fall into a cliff the moment Naomi would let go. Then, suddenly, it wasn't a matter of _if _Naomi would let go anymore, but rather, _when_.

Naomi's jaw slackened, hanging loosely, as she was completely taken aback of Emily's unexpected outburst, but it didn't last long before her brows lined up into one straight line, her eyes squinting dangerously. "Christ, you're unbelievable. Where do you even get those ideas?"

"It's fucking everywhere." Emily's fingers curled and uncurled into tight fists as she spoke. "The tweets, the pictures, the interview! Jesus Naomi, I'm not blind yeah?"

A hand soared from Naomi's side, pinching the bridge of her nose as her teeth grinded against each other. "I told you already Emily, we do this all the fucking time. Why are you even that bothered?"

"Because I don't like it okay?" Emily exclaimed, almost standing at her toes. "I don't fucking like it."

Naomi snorted disbelief. "And what do you want me to do? Back off? Stay away from her? She's my best friend Emily. She's been in my life longer than you have been. I can't just drop her like that!"

Emily didn't speak for about a beat as Naomi's words reverberated inside her ears, and Naomi took the silence as a sign to continue.

"You know, I don't even know why we're fighting about this. I don't even know what you're so mad about. If it's that damn fucking Twitter, I'll take it down if you like if it's that of a huge deal for you." She retorted before spinning around on her heels to head upstairs.

Emily slumped dejectedly against the front wooden door as she watched Naomi slowly disappear from her sight, the slamming of the door being the last thing that she heard before everything became awfully quiet.

***

It was late in the evening when she decided to watch and actually finish the interview, since Naomi didn't come down for dinner and she already had enough of the silence looming inside the house. Even the stale tension could still be tasted and breathed in the air.

She turned the telly on and hit play, though fast forwarding through the first few bits she had already seen, and as she hit the play button again, she braced herself for whatever scene was coming her way, may it be terrifying or heartbreaking or something else unexpected.

The interviewer's voice rang through the whole living room. "What do you least enjoy about being popular aside from the lack of privacy?"

The question was directed to Naomi, and Emily felt like her heart was being squeezed tight when the camera zoomed in to show a clearer view. "Uhm, let's see." Naomi started, pausing for a little while, probably to think of a decent answer to give out. "It's when everybody treats me a little bit extra special than the others, although I'm not complaining about it. I just hate it when it's too much, and then everything I do becomes a big deal, even the littlest things. It's just that, I think, at the end of the day, I'm still an ordinary person with the same needs as the rest. You know?"

"Yeah, I get what you mean."

"I'm just thankful that Emily's there. She keeps me sane." Naomi added, and it was followed by a little laugh that somehow sounded sheepish into Emily's ears. And she heard Katie's voice in the background. "God, you're blushing." which earned a playful nudge to Katie and an off-hand comment to the interviewer, "She's gonna be teasing me for the rest of my life."

The next question and Naomi's answer to it was what shocked her more.

"What's your new hobby?"

"Uhm, kissing Emily?" Naomi laughed loudly along with the interviewer, before following it with a "No, really. It's--I'm back to playing the piano again after stopping for ages."

The rest of the words went distinctly faint as Emily quickly heaved herself up from the couch, suddenly feeling a little bit guilty and stupid for the most part, for picking up a fight with Naomi when apparently, she had better reasons as to why not to.

***

"Shit." She cursed under her breath as she raised her fist to knock on the door, dropping it down immediately, because it was a little bit awkward and weird to knock at your own room. She took a deep breath instead, and twisted the handle gently, her hand shaking as she pushed the door ajar, leaving just enough space to pop her head in and take a look around. She could see Naomi lying in the middle of the bed from where she was standing, an arm draped along Naomi's head while the other was laid down, fingers crumpling the sheets. She could guess that Naomi was still fuming mad by the scowl still evident on her face, and it was enough to send her cowering with fear, her words of apology bundled up in her mouth in the end.

Naomi shifted on the bed, rolling onto her side to face away from Emily, and it just about told Emily that Naomi was awake, and still fuming. She decided to push through with her apology, since she had no any other choice anyway, slipping quietly inside the room, her movements light but slow, and rather deliberate.

"Nai." She softly called out as she walked to the edge of the bed, the side where Naomi was faced, squatting down in front of her, and she had to clench her fists tight to stop herself from reaching out and smoothing the scowl prominently invading Naomi's beautiful face.

"I don't want to talk to you." Naomi answered sternly, with closed eyes, though she didn't move from her position which pretty much made Emily sigh a small breath of relief. "Go away."

"I'm sorry." She murmured. "I was stupid. I shouldn't have had a go on you."

"I said I don't wanna talk."

Emily took a deep breath. "Okay." She whispered before leaning forwards to reach up and plant a soft, chaste kiss at Naomi's lips, and she could feel them twitching under her own but decided not to say anything regarding it, so as to not send Naomi's temper off escalating to a higher degree.

She was on her way out, after she decided to spend the night at her old room to give Naomi some space, when she felt a couple of fingers encircling around her wrist, tugging on her hand, and before she knew it, a pair of lips were invading hers, almost too hungrily, too harshly. She knew Naomi was still angry at her somehow, could tell it by the way Naomi was kissing her, and she could taste the rusty flavour of blood at the tip of her tongue because Naomi bit on her bottom lip too hard.

But she was taking it all, the harshness, the callousness and everything, even though it felt like physical punches thrown her way, blow by blow, the way Naomi's nails were digging into her skin, that she was sure would leave marks and dents right after this.

Her back hit the bed with a loud thud as Naomi pushed her down, no, shoved her down forcefully, Naomi's wandering hands almost everywhere at once, under her shirt, running along her sides, or probably she was just feeling her everywhere. A sound of cloth being ripped apart filled her ears and she found herself half naked in a matter of seconds, her bra soaring up high and the only thing she could do was watch it fly across the room.

In an instant, Naomi's lips were on her already hardened buds, licking and nipping and sucking alternately, the edge of Naomi's front teeth grazing against the skin, and she breathed out a sharp gasp, because Naomi was biting too hard, but didn't say anything about it, feeling like she deserved how she was being treated, in some way.

But then, eventually, everything became too much, because all the gentleness was gone, and all that was left was this hungry, careless creature hovering above her. It was far so different from the numerous times they made love, she didn't even know if she could still call it the same, because it felt like just random, plain _fucking_ in some sense, like how one night stands and quick fucks probably felt like: rough, hurried, callous.

She didn't know when exactly she started crying; only realized it when Naomi stopped moving above her, feeling the pads of Naomi's thumb brush along her already wet cheeks, and when she opened her eyes, the first thing her gaze met was Naomi's blue orbs, the hunger in them gone, replaced by a certain glint that Emily could only hope for as affection. "Nai-Nai." She murmured between silent sobs. "I'm sorry."

Naomi didn't speak, dipped her head down instead to dry Emily's fallen tears away with her lips, kissing each trail so tenderly that it made Emily somehow forget everything going on in her mind, momentarily effacing the fear that she had, and it was enough to send her crying again, for no definite reason at all, except for the overwhelming feeling of things, which was all too much for her to bear.

"You're such a dweeb sometimes, you know." Naomi finally spoke, her lips twitching up into a half smile.

"I'm sorry." Emily murmured again, hands snaking around Naomi's neck.

"Save it for later." Naomi replied, dipping her head in once again to capture Emily's lips, kissing her with such earnestness and Emily could easily distinguish the huge difference from Naomi's earlier kisses.

Emily kissed back, feverishly but as tenderly, despite her swollen, bleeding lips, sighing Naomi's name every time she could, her fingers finding Naomi's already bare back, gliding along the whole length of it while her nails grazed against the smooth skin.

Their movements trickled off from an alarming pace into a slow, tender one, just like the way making love was supposed to be.

***

When everything was all over, and Emily was lying on top of Naomi's naked, sleeping form, with Naomi's light snores filling up the room, she pressed a kiss at the space right above Naomi's chest, basking on the feeling of Naomi's heart beating underneath her lips, and whispered "Don't ever leave me." ever so softly before pressing her ear against it, just because the sound of Naomi's heart was the most beautiful lullaby she knew she would ever hear.

As she was slowly drifting to sleep, she felt Naomi's hold on her tighten, almost squeezing, and she couldn't help the smile that broke forth her lips, because it felt like a comforting answer in some way, and it was enough to make her feel secure for the coming days.


	43. Tug of War

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 42

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_"I'm a dweeb, you're a twat." She quipped, the corner of her lips twitching up into a soft smile. "We fit together, don't we?"_

**A/N:** it took this long people, my apologies.

Big thanks to my beta (yes, I have one, finally!) Naomilyox, and to TDTC (you know who you guys are!) and to Skye and Harley, and Chantal for the ideas ^^

Emily woke up in the middle of the night to a pair of hands delicately running along her curbs, nimble fingers tracing the scattered reddened marks down the whole length of her arms, some along her bare back, prominent evidences of what had taken place just earlier; gliding with uttermost care and gentleness that she could barely feel the contact they were making against her skin, but was just about enough to make it tingle and raise goose bumps in its wake. She stirred for a few beats, letting out a huge yawn while stretching to the fullest, to shake the last remnants of sleep away, and she caught Naomi's still wandering hand in the process to bring it to her lips for a light kiss. She rolled onto her side and was then faced with a wide awake Naomi, could see her through her squinted, half sleepy eyes, the sight of Naomi instantaneously making her smile. "Hey." She softly called out, voice raspy and thick with sleep. "How long have you been up?"

"A few minutes." Naomi answered, rather stiffly, because she had been watching Emily in her sleep for almost an hour now, if truth be told. She brought her other hand out from under the covers and started tracing the visible marks again, could feel a huge pang of guilt kicking her hard in the chest as her fingers ran along the scratches, ones undeniably made by her nails. "Does it hurt?" She couldn't help but ask, after a good while of just plain looking, and no matter how much Emily tried to fight a wince every time she touched the marks, she could still see past through the effort Emily was putting up with.

"They'll heal." Emily tried to brush off by not answering the question directly, seeing that little fear glinting in Naomi's eyes, one which was overshadowed by a mixture of utter concern and slight remorse, yet, still, fairly visible.

Naomi, on the other hand, was struggling to keep the guilt she was feeling at bay, but it only took one mistaken glance to Emily's swollen bottom lip, the little wounded dent screaming at her, to make her feel disgusted with herself in some way, definitely still in disbelief of being capable to do such things, to Emily of all fucking people. "Jesus Christ." She hissed faintly, letting her hand travel from Emily's side to her cheek, the pad of her thumb hovering above Emily's bottom lip just because she was too afraid to actually fucking touch it. "Em, I'm--I didn't mean to--"

Emily pursed her lips; stretched them forwards to kiss Naomi's thumb. "It's just a small wound." She answered reassuringly. "And you were really mad at me last night so--"

Naomi broke her off immediately. "But." She started with clear words in mind, but the entire length of the sentence pulled the strength away, ripping it from her grasp. "That was no--" Her voice faltered, cracking in the middle of pushing the words out through quivering lips, and when her hold had returned, though only after a good while of guilt filled silence, she muttered. "Reason to--"

She was hushed into silence by Emily's soft fingers. "I know you didn't mean to do any of these." Emily conjured a half smile despite her bruised lip, though she could feel the sting of it, of that little wound which seemed to have pierced her skin. "I know that okay?"

Naomi never got to form one coherent sentence. "Em--'

"Nai." Emily replied with a resigned sigh. "Stop worrying yeah?" She broke into a comforting smile, murmuring "Come here." as she opened her arms wide, and gestured towards Naomi to cuddle in, letting Naomi rest her head at the crook of her neck.

"I'm sorry." Naomi huffed out against Emily's neck, her voice coming out muffled and faint, breathless.

Emily didn't respond for a while, but rather, basked on the thought of how Naomi could be so small once she was curled up at her side, how the difference in their heights just disappeared, and it wasn't something big, but was significant nonetheless, well at least for Emily. She pulled back a little, just so she could plant a kiss on Naomi's forehead. "I'm a dweeb, you're a twat." She quipped, the corner of her lips twitching up into a soft smile. "We fit together, don't we?"

Naomi's face leaned forth, her nose rubbing against Emily's, and kissed the tip of it afterwards. "Yeah, we do."

***

Naomi was having one of those nights, _again_.

She was slowly drifting off to sleep, Emily's light snores lulling her into a deep slumber, when everything inside her head began spinning around so quickly, like a time space warp thing; and she found herself suddenly transported back in time, into a certain place she knew very well, a place she never wanted to return to ever again, even in dreams.

She broke into a cold sweat.

She found herself stood at a corner across the street, watching the play by play of scenes she was more than familiar with unfold right before her very eyes, every bit and detail ever clear, and she seemed to be so deeply into it, as if she was witnessing it for the first time, when in fact, she had seen it countless of times before, been seeing them almost every night if truth be told.

She watched as the younger version of her was shoved down towards the pavement, but she'd stand in the exact same place, not doing anything apart from anticipating the next thing that would happen, because the same things happened almost always, in the same, exact manner.

The screech of the tires, shoved to the pavement, left to die.

She was already waiting for it, to see the younger her pass out in the cold, bricked floor, though she'd still brace herself somehow because it would hurt the same, regardless of the number of times she had already witnessed it; would still feel the same nonetheless, like a fresh wound newly inflicted.

Her eyes were wide open as the scene continued to play, like a fucking movie she would very much refuse to see but absolutely had no choice, and she was already counting in her head, when the tiny arms hit the ground with a dull thudding sound that echoed inside her ears, counted till she reached five, waiting for herself to wake up and end everything.

Just like every fucking time.

But she didn't.

Instead, she saw a blur of red and brown mix with all the other colors of her dream, just as she was about to shoot her eyes open, or rather, was supposed to; could make out bright strands of red hair shining underneath the hot sun, the vividness of things notwithstanding, and it was burning her eyes for some reason, making it hard for her to see. She squinted, blinking a few times to clear her vision, and when she directed her gaze back towards the pavement, it was already empty, her young, limp body cradled into someone else's arms, with no trace of blood or bruises, neither scars.

Fully healed, like nothing ever happened.

"I'll take care of her, always." Was the last thing she heard before everything just vanished into thin air, and she was being pulled back into the time warp again, her whole world spinning inside her head, this time, in reverse.

She bolted upright from the bed with panting breaths, exactly at the same time that she saw her feet hit the ground, the sheets and the covers tangled with her limbs from writhing, and there were beads of sweat trickling from her forehead down to the bridge of her nose and the spaces beside it. She remembered everything so clearly, could remember the brightness that had suddenly invaded the dullness of such a horrible dream, like it was radiating in some way, the redness of Emily's hair already a distinct part of it, even though it was the first time she'd ever dreamed about Emily being there.

She didn't know what it meant, but still muttered "Thank you." to a sleeping Emily even so, when she rolled onto her side, and planted a light kiss on Emily's lips.

***

Last night's dream seemed to have turned into a huge, hazy blur when morning came.

Instead, Naomi's attention was caught by a heap of pet magazines, which were mostly about dogs, piled up by the magazine rack on her way to the kitchen, and her brow arched up high because she couldn't remember any particular time that she bought whichever of those; presumed they were all Emily's upon seeing the hand written notes stuck in between the pages of the particular magazine she had picked up. Notes such as _how cute_, with a doodled heart, and _I want one_ scribbled on post-its with Emily's recognizable, curvy handwriting.

_Emily's brooding for a dog_ was the first thought that came to her mind, though she wasn't able to process the rest because Emily's voice had echoed from the kitchen, announcing breakfast.

***

It was supposed to be alarming, how peanut butter was quickly turning into one of Naomi's favorites when she used to be disgusted just by the mere thought of it, let alone, the taste.

"Em."

Emily lifted her head up and tore her gaze away from the magazine that she was reading, a pet magazine, _again_, as Naomi took notice, looking all expectant for what she had to say next. "Yeah?"

Naomi blew out a deep breath; cleared her throat as she flumped down the couch, sitting right next to Emily. "I have something for you."

"Really?" Emily's eyes widened with genuine surprise, eyes sparkling bright.

"It isn't the Statue of Liberty though." Naomi quipped and watched as Emily poked her tongue out at her. "Apparently, I've tried but it's immovable."

Emily raised a hand and playfully slapped Naomi on the shoulder. "What is it then?"

Naomi took in a few seconds to pause, mostly for effect, before producing a box from behind her, and Emily's eyes bulged wide, like it was going to pop out from the sockets, her bottom lip caught in between her teeth, shallow dents already forming as they sunk in. "Butterfingers!" Emily squealed. "You remembered Nai."

"Well." Naomi brushed off with a shrug, while Emily was already busy ripping the box open and pulling out a piece, like an overexcited child opening presents on a Christmas day, something which usually earned an eye roll from Naomi, but it was making her smile this time. "I passed by a store and saw those. I figured you'd want one."

A flick of Emily's fingers and the chocolate bar was stripped off of half of its wrapper, licking her lips first before taking a bite, and it wasn't supposed to be turning Naomi on, the way Emily's tongue darted out to wet her lips for a bite, but it was, fucking preposterously. "I've missed this." Emily murmured after a long swallow and a few bites, turning sideways to face Naomi, and she leaned forth to capture Naomi's lips into a sweet kiss. "Thanks."

"That's meant to last at least for a month Em, I'm telling you."

It was supposed to be alarming, but it bothered her as little as it could, surprisingly.

***

Four Butterfingers bars and one make out session later, Emily was already buzzing.

"I have an idea." She said so after her fourth bar, munching on the small bit left, and there were chocolate crumbs spread all over her lips, as well as in some parts of her cheeks.

"What?" Naomi asked, in response, as she pulled out a few sheets of tissue paper from the box by the side table. She caught Emily's chin, slipping a couple of fingers beneath to steady her while wiping the crumbs away from Emily's face. "Tsk. You eat like a kid sometimes."

Emily beamed towards her. "Thank you."

"So what's your idea then?"

"Let's have a bet." She answered excitedly, clasping her hands together in effect.

Naomi's forehead furrowed into a small crumple. "A bet?"

"Yeah." Emily nodded vigorously, and she was bouncing on the couch already, out of sugar rush, Naomi could tell. "We'll play a game in the Xbox and whoever wins gets to ask anything she wants."

Naomi snorted and made a half-hearted 'pffft' sound. "Really Em?"

"Come on, I'm bored."

She heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes in the process. "What game then?"

A small, excited squeal escaped from Emily's lips. "I don't know. Guitar Hero?"

"Seriously?"

"Street Fighter then?" Emily asked, hopeful, smiling at once when Naomi nodded in answer.

"Alright fine." Naomi huffed out, punctuating the words with a low grunt.

"I am _so_ gonna kick your arse."

"Hah. You wish." Naomi snorted smugly, her hands stretching to grab one game pad by the coffee table. "I'm an expert. No mercy."

***

When Emily won the first round, her Chun-Li defeating Naomi's Crimson Viper, Naomi kept on grumbling under her breath about how ridiculously big and distracting Chun-Li's thighs were.

"Fucking massive thighs."

***

In the middle of the second round, Naomi had paused the game, out of the blue.

"Oi!" Emily hissed in protest, but looked all confused upon seeing the scowl that took over Naomi's face. "Nai-Nai?"

"My game pad's broken." Naomi answered gruffly; tossed the offending controller at the coffee table a bit too forcefully.

"It's perfectly fine during our first match. How could it be broken?"

"MY combos aren't working." She shifted on the couch, eyes glued to the telly. "I think one of the buttons is stuck."

Emily huffed out two breaths with a roll of her eyes. "Fine, we'll switch pads then."

***

Naomi lost four rounds out of seven in the end, and blamed the game pads for it entirely. "I need to buy new ones." She grumbled lowly, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "They're both broken."

"Don't be ridiculous." Emily snorted, biting her lip to stifle a huge laugh she could feel bubbling up inside her. "They're both working."

"No they're not." Naomi replied ever so sternly, with a half serious, half pissed off look in her face that Emily had to pinch some part of her thigh to stop herself from cracking up altogether.

Emily had to resist another giggle upon seeing the way that the scowl scrunched up Naomi's face; feigned a cough when she couldn't hold it any longer and it escaped from her lips, alongside her muffled laughter. "So--" She spoke, halting abruptly when Naomi's head snapped to the side, and she was caught laughing silently.

"I don't like the sound of that." Naomi interjected, breaking Emily off quickly, with a good natured glare thrown towards Emily's direction, which turned into a full squint upon seeing Emily's shoulders shaking slightly.

"Hey! You lost yeah?" Emily frowned, though a bit playful. "I get to ask for what I want."

"Technically, you didn't win because the pads are broken."

"Oh please."

"What?" Naomi feigned disbelief, matching it with a gasp. "They are."

"Still, I won, even if the pads are broken." Emily raised her hands and quoted the last word, fingers curling and uncurling in the air. "Admit that you lost already." She scooted over, her bottom lip sticking out so low that Naomi caught a glimpse of the small, bruised wound, and she had to avert her gaze, falling onto everywhere else except Emily, because the wound looked so nasty that it almost genuinely felt like she hit Emily rather than kissed her forcefully, in some way. "Come on, Nai."

"Fine then." Naomi huffed out, lips curling onto the side. "What do you want?"

Emily stilled for a second, caught in deep thinking, and Naomi had to pester her with gentle prods to her side until she squirmed. "Hang on, I'm thinking." She muttered in between laughs, because she was that ticklish and Naomi's that fucking impatient for an answer.

"Come on Em. What do you want?"

"Oh, I know!" Emily blurted out after a few beats of serious thinking, and Naomi had a sudden inkling that it wasn't of something good, well, for her, judging by the looks of Emily's sparkling brown eyes. "I want a giant teddy bear. Like--like, a huge one! The really, really big one."

After all, it was Emily. Naomi knew that she should have somehow suspected that it was going to be something like that.

"Oh fucking hell." She ran a palm along the whole length of her face, scrunching it altogether, because she couldn't even bear to imagine herself buying any stuffed toy at all, let alone, the biggest one. "Size-wise Em, I don't think a huge one fits. You're, you know, a bit--"

"I'm not that small yeah?" Emily retorted, shooting a glare towards Naomi's direction.

Naomi shook her head helplessly, heaving out deep sighs as she cringed at the thought of the inevitable embarrassment she'd probably be facing, because it was a fucking teddy bear that was involved, and she didn't do adorable, _ever_. "Can you ask for something else?"

"I want a teddy Nai."

She was about to say no, the word already dangling at the tip of her tongue, but when Emily leaned forwards and kissed her earnestly, it got lost along with the other objections she had in mind, her view on things changing in an instant.

***

"Nai-Nai."

Naomi turned around, the hem of her coat clutched tightly on one hand, the other shrugging the rest of the coat on. "Yeah?" She asked with a half smile as she grabbed her keys from the table near the door.

"I changed my mind." Emily murmured, barely whispered actually, her head kept low, eyes glued to her wriggling toes.

"About what?"

"Never mind the teddy bear." Emily's hand soared up from her side, and held on her open palm was Naomi's phone flashing incessantly. "Just come home early, please?" The 'please' came out so breathless, that Naomi almost didn't hear it, though she did, heard it as clearly as ever, along with the plea which came with it, and it sounded so broken that it caught her off guard, disarmed her for some reason.

Naomi hesitantly reached for the mobile; could make out Effy's name on the caller screen, her face pulling up to an apprehensive grimace. "Em--"

"Take care." Emily didn't wait for another word, turning around to head onto some other area in the house after a quick peck on Naomi's lips; nearly said those three words, but had decided against it, that it was probably for the best that she didn't.

Naomi was left gobsmacked by the front door, keys jangling on her one hand, her mobile still ringing in the other, and she was torn between aggravation and disbelief, because it felt like she was stuck in the fucking middle of things without having any choice, let alone, knowing how she even got into that position.

A win-lose situation, though the problem was who she was going to let to win.

***

Effy had asked to meet her in the pub at two in the afternoon, for sodding out loud, though it bore no surprise.

"Hey." She greeted casually, occupying the bar stool next to Effy at once.

Effy pushed a shot glass towards Naomi in response, into which Naomi grabbed a bit hesitatingly.

"Can't drink that much Eff. I'm driving."

"I know." Effy answered coolly, the way she always did, unfazed by the wary eyes and murmuring lips that, she was mostly sure, were talking about them.

Effy's cool seemed to have helped Naomi to loosen up a little bit. "Something up?"

Effy tipped her neck back, downed the shot glass in one go and Naomi had watched the way Effy's throat worked the liquor down; knew that she wasn't supposed to stare, but she did, anyways. "Nothing." Effy said upon swallowing, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. "Should there always be a reason when you ask somebody to see you?"

Naomi's lip twitched up into a small smile. "No, not really."

"I figured." Effy's shoulders hunched up into a shrug, her head tilting a little to the side, and her eyes settled at Naomi; stared at her, just plain stared, until she had managed to somehow hit a nerve and had Naomi blurting out "What?" with an obviously miffed tone. She smiled, feeling a round of laughter bubbling up inside her at Naomi's slightly agitated but mostly wondering state.

"Are you high Effy?"

Effy flicked her hair, brushed it off her shoulders. "Has it ever happened to you?"

"What? Being high?"

"No, you cow." Effy snorted a chuckle, rolling her eyes internally. Naomi joined her effortlessly, until she stopped, mood changing quickly into something serious, something even Naomi herself had rarely seen. Her lips quivered momentarily, like she was afraid to let the words out, but she knew she had to, sooner or later. "That you've thought you were in love with someone for so long, but as it turns out you actually weren't?" Effy continued, eyes trained straight towards Naomi's own, her lips pulling up to a cryptic smile. "You thought you were so in love with somebody that you fail to see who you really feel for?"

Naomi gnawed on her bottom lip, had to avert her eyes away because she couldn't bear to meet Effy's any longer. It felt too heavy, Effy's stares that were, felt too overwhelming, and it clearly wasn't in a good way. "No Eff." She answered after a few seconds of staying in silence, watching Effy's little movements at the corner of her eyes. "I don't think it has."

"Really?" Effy's eyebrow quirked into a perfectly sculpted arch.

"Yeah."

"What would you do if it happens to you then?" She followed up as she placed her hand down gently on top of the bar counter, right beside Naomi's own, her littlest finger stroking the back of Naomi's hand absentmindedly, like it was the most natural thing to do, and it felt exactly like that, well, for Effy, at the least.

Naomi was quiet for a good while, did nothing but to just stare at Effy with quizzical eyes, wondering if this was a trick question or just one of Effy's fucked up games designed to baffle the mind. "The fuck Eff? It's too early for this yeah? What have you been drinking?"

"You didn't answer me."

Naomi blew out an exasperated breath. "That's because I don't know."

***

"I had a great time in New York."

Naomi snorted out loud when the words registered in her head, her first thought flying towards the fight Emily had picked once she got back home, and she was suddenly equally torn between laughing altogether and taking things seriously, just because she found it actually ridiculous and rather impossible, Emily's rants about flirting that was.

"What?"

"Nothing." She shook her head while chuckling softly. "Well, I just remembered something."

"Tell me." Effy persuaded, downing another shot before pestering Naomi with incessant nudges until she finally spilled.

"Emily picked a fight with me yesterday." Naomi started, heaving a deep breath before speaking again, as she watched the beads of water formed around her shot glass trickle down slowly. "She thinks we were flirting and that I was rather enjoying it."

Effy stilled for a moment, fingers stiffening around her own shot glass held in between her hands, that for a moment, it actually looked like it was going to break into a thousand tiny shards. "What if we were Nai?" She mumbled, first with her eyes closed, and when she batted them open, did not even spare one glance at Naomi. "What if we were?" She slowly turned her head around, dragging her eyes with it, and for a second, she looked like she was going to break down, looked so vulnerable.

It was that certain glint in Effy's eyes, the earnestness in them that almost made Naomi want to believe Effy's words, that Emily was speaking the truth all along. "Eff--" She called out, a nervous chuckle coming along with it, reverberating deep within her throat, and when Effy did not answer right away, she felt something heavy drop at the very pit of her stomach. "You're kidding me right?" It came out faint, almost breathless, as if she was actually pleading for Effy to say yes, just because _it _couldn't happen, it just couldn't.

Effy's quivering lips quickly turned into a smirk, classic. "Of course I am, you twat."

It was almost too convincing, the way Effy had asked, catching Naomi entirely off guard that it remained etched in her mind, how Effy's eyes pretty much belied everything else she was saying.

***

Emily was waiting by the front door steps when Naomi got home that night.

She watched her pace back and forth from inside her car for a few beats, with an incognizant smile gracing her lips; patted the thing seated next to her and unbuckled her seatbelt, the car door slamming shut as she stepped out, and in a matter of seconds, she was leaning against the passenger side's door, arms crossed over her chest. "Em." She called out loudly.

Emily, who was still pacing back and forth stopped abruptly, and almost legged their distance upon seeing Naomi nod towards her, gesturing for her to come. She approached the car with a light bounce in her steps, matching it with a toothy grin that only grew wider as she drew near. "Hey."

"There's somebody here who wants to meet you." Naomi offered a smile upon seeing the confusion that fell on Emily's face, and she stepped aside to give way. "He's inside."

"He?" Emily squinted her eyes, tried to see past the car windows but they were so heavily tinted that she could barely make out a silhouette. "Inside?"

"Yeah."

Emily's hand, shaking for too many reasons, reached forwards and lightly grabbed the door handle, pulling it with uttermost care, and she was half expecting a giant teddy bear to surprise her, because, well, it was what she had asked for.

Turned out, it was far better than what she had expected.

The door swung open and she was greeted by a sleeping puppy lying by the passenger seat, whom at the sight of her quickly stood up, wagging its tail at her, and barking its small, cute barks. She scooped it in her arms at once, almost absentmindedly, not wasting another second, her strangled squeals muffled by the dog's fur as she buried her face in it, hugging it so tight, because, well, she had been wanting one for ages.

"I take it you like him then." Naomi said, creeping up beside her to pat the puppy's head.

Emily turned around and pulled Naomi by the hem of her coat with her free hand, while she held the puppy in the other, and she began kissing Naomi senselessly, that it made Naomi's knees wobble and her toes curl, Naomi's back hitting the side of the car with a not so painful thud, Emily's fingers entangling themselves with Naomi's hair; and if it wasn't for the puppy wriggling in Emily's arm, they would have done more than they already did, never mind that they were outside.

***

The details only registered minutes after, when Emily had managed to calm down from her excitement and they were both seated next to each other at the couch, with the puppy lying on her lap.

He had three colors; his fur mostly dominated by white but had black portions in it, especially around the head and the tail, the black topped off with light brownish tips.

"It's a Pomeranian tri-color." Naomi explained, a finger tapping the puppy's nose. "It's pretty rare."

Emily leaned forth, kissing Naomi again with sparkling eyes, because she could feel her heart swelling ten folds, since in her dictionary rare meant special. "What are we gonna name him then?"

"Well what do you want?" Naomi asked after another kiss.

Emily fell deep into her thoughts as she racked her brains out for a decent name, since anything related to flowers mostly wouldn't really fit. "I got it." She beamed, stroked the puppy's hair before picking him up from her lap and facing him to her. "Nemo."

Naomi's yawn quickly turned into a slack jaw, cutting it midway, and she stared at Emily like she had just given her the most ridiculous idea ever. "Em, Nemo's a fish."

"I know." Emily answered casually, cooing at the puppy with her lips puckering up, that it was making Naomi want to kiss her again in some way. "But I've always wanted to name my pet Nemo."

"Em, we're not naming _our_ dog after a fish." Naomi voiced out protest, caught Emily's chin to force her to look at her way. "Alright? Not after a fish."

It took Emily seconds to object, because the way that Naomi had said '_our dog_' was making her heart turn over beneath her chest. "But--"

"Ah." Naomi interjected, breaking Emily's objection entirely. "No, not Nemo."

"Why? You got anything more brilliant than that?" Emily goaded, wriggling her head away from Naomi's hold.

"'Course." Naomi answered smugly, the corner of her lips twitching up to a smirk.

"What then?"

"Zeus."

***

Later on that night, Naomi dreamed about the same thing like the past night, dreamed about it for a few more nights after, and it nearly became something constant, a part of her subconscious: screeching tires, empty pavements, Emily.

Though at times, she had dreamed about her being shattered into a thousand little bits for no particular reason, and Emily was there, picking her up, finding every little piece that had gone missing, until Emily had everything scooped in her hands, ready to build her again, to patch the pieces together.

"I'm here." She would hear Emily say, in that raspy voice of hers that it felt so real, almost like she was awake. "Always here." And Naomi would believe it, even until the moment she would wake up and everything would be hazy that she could barely remember anything, she would believe it.

She didn't know what it meant, except that Emily was always there to pick up the pieces when nobody else did.

***

Naomi's mornings had now gotten to work this way:

She'd wake up to either Emily kissing her relentlessly, until she was the one to pull back and Emily would end up giggling, murmuring "good morning" in between laughs, against her ear while Emily's hot breath trickled into her skin, in that raspy voice of hers which would unravel Naomi completely, the sound settling somewhere deep within her stomach and in between her thighs.

Or, she and Emily would wake up to Zeus' little barks and licks, switching alternately until Zeus could see them both stirring from their sleep, and she would scoop him on her arms and pat him on the head, while Emily would cuddle up next to her and kiss her good morning, smiling dreamily, Emily's fingers threading along Zeus' fluffy fur.

At breakfast, she'd hand Emily her cooled coffee and Emily would give her a plateful of pancakes in return, complete with Emily's adorable shapes that she had gotten used to, or if not pancakes, whatever Emily had served for breakfast, still with the shapes, since Emily would almost always find a way to doodle things around her plate. And she'd watch with a small, contented smile as Emily would call Zeus, laughing at her occasional slips of "Nemo." into which Emily would blush and murmur "sorry" with when she'd thrown her a good natured glare.

They would do the dishes together, every now and then when Naomi didn't need to hurry up for work, would watch Zeus walk around and play with him even, together, like he was their child although it strangely felt like that in some way.

It was funny how they fell into doing more couply stuff as each day passed, without them really knowing it, and oddly, it felt nice, felt the word 'together' be more tangible than ever.

***

Emily would still raise the name issue from time to time.

"Why can't we call him Nemo?" She asked one lazy evening, when she and Naomi were both flumped down the couch, eyes flickering between the telly and Zeus playing with his newly bought chew bone and ball.

"Em." Naomi called out in an admonishing tone; scooped Zeus from the floor. "I thought we already sorted this out."

Emily took the puppy from Naomi's arms. "I know. But, Nai-Nai, I really want to name him Nemo."

Naomi shuffled on the couch, so that she was sitting face to face with Emily. "No Em. Zeus doesn't have gills."

"But." Emily paused, pouted for a while. "Let's name him Zeumo then."

Naomi snorted and broke into a huge fit of laughter, that it startled the puppy for a moment, squirming on top of Emily's lap. "Zeus, Em. I think it's good already."

"Zenemo?" Emily suggested, tone a bit too hopeful that it somehow broke Naomi's heart when she turned it down with a shake of the head, Emily's effulging smile quickly falling to a lopsided frown. "What about Zeusnemo?"

"No Em. Zeus is enough."

"Nemozeus?"

"No."

***

Although, it wasn't the puppy's name that bothered Emily most. It was actually surprisingly little compared to her bigger concern.

Emily had managed not to think about Effy every now and then, especially when Naomi was around, but it didn't mean that she had forgotten all about it.

It nagged her from the back of her mind, every time she was alone, or sometimes, even if Naomi was around, how Effy could be doing everything purposely, how Effy could be planning something she had no idea about, hence, she couldn't prepare for, whatever it was exactly. It would come to her mind before she'd fall asleep, would dream about it sometimes, just because.

She'd think about it occasionally, though it never occurred to her that there would come a time where she'd be tested, and her patience.

Katie came storming inside her house one day with Naomi laughing behind, strutting towards the couch where she and Zeus were seated, and Katie squealed a little too excitedly that it made Zeus bark for a few seconds. "Emily! We're going to a party!"

"Party?" Emily's forehead crumpled. "What party?"

"A charity event." Naomi answered from behind, and upon hearing her voice, Zeus' tail wagged incessantly, hopping off of Emily's lap as he ran his way to her. "Tomorrow night." A small grunt escaped from her throat when she stooped down and picked Zeus up.

"I'm going to style your outfits." Katie exclaimed with a few claps. "It's gonna be well lush."

Naomi fell into a light chuckle. "Yeah, you do that Katiekins." She walked towards Emily, flumped right next to her and Emily automatically leaned forwards for a quick kiss.

"Katie, you coming too?" Emily asked, though her eyes were glued to Zeus, busily cooing at him.

"'Course." Katie replied with a proud smile, crossed her arms over her chest. "I won't miss it for the world yeah?"

Naomi rolled her eyes, well, internally. "Of course you can't miss this scene thing. You're way too important."

"Okay, funny. Haha." Katie's eyes squinted dangerously at Naomi, before rolling it straightaway, because well, it was fucking mandatory when it came to her. "So, let me get this straight." She called out afterwards, plopping down on the single couch beside Naomi, her eyes fixed on Zeus. "You got a dog."

"Yeah." Emily nodded in answer. "Obviously."

"You do know that dogs do stuff like, ruin gardens, right?"

Naomi scooped the puppy from Emily's lap and placed him above hers. "Zeus is a very clever dog."

"Indeed, Nemo's really smart." Emily seconded, though upon saying the wrong name, a roll of eyes was thrown her way.

"What really is his name?" Katie asked in confusion, eyes flickering between Naomi and Emily.

"Nemo."

"Zeus."

Katie rolled her eyes. "God, that dog's going to have serious psychological issues, I swear."

***

"So." Katie started the inquisition, _again_, accompanied by a deep sigh. "You got a dog. Can I ask why?"

"Why?" Naomi repeated, with crumpled creases starting to form along her forehead. "What do you mean why?"

Katie rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that day, and she could feel a sudden impulse of throwing a shoe at Naomi, because, well, seriously, nobody could be that daft as her. "It's for real then?"

"What's for real?"

"God." Katie blew out an exasperated breath, fingers curling into tight fists. She knew that she couldn't really be blamed for it, her mood ever changing because of the hormones. "Your relationship Naomi. Is it fucking real? Are you two together now, like, for real?"

Emily stilled on her seat, her arm stiffening on the spot, and she stopped stroking Zeus' fur as her gaze flickered between Katie and Naomi, though it was mostly lingering on the latter. Her nails were starting to dig against the skin of her palms, from clenching her fingers into tight fists, because Naomi was taking longer than a few seconds to answer, and it felt like torture somehow, each second passing making her heart thud out loud inside her chest, as if it was trying to break out.

Naomi started with an amused laugh. "Of course its real Katie, what do you think?" She watched as Katie's careful expression turned into something akin to deep satisfaction, like she was relieved of some fucking burden she had been carrying for so long. "It's been real for almost a month now. I thought you already knew."

"Well." Katie brushed off with a light shrug, nails grazing along her leg as she scratched a particular spot. "I just want to make it clear Naomi, and like, warn you as well."

Naomi snorted disbelief. "Warn me?"

"Don't fuck my sister up." Katie replied, the look on her face dead serious that it stopped Naomi from voicing out a retort, the words she was about to say swallowed wholly.

"Katie." Naomi's face turned serious as well, throwing a brief glance to Emily, eyes full of emotions that Emily couldn't decipher that quick, because Naomi had turned her attention back to Katie. "If I wanted to fuck her up, I would have done it a long time ago."

***

The limousine arrived at exactly six in the evening during the night of the event, and Katie was the first one to strut out with Cook tagged along, hopping inside the service car with ease and grace that somehow it was hard to believe she was actually pregnant. Naomi followed suit with a conscious Emily in tow, who was constantly worried about her dress, the event itself and many other things even though Naomi had tried to assure her plenty of times already that everything was going to flow smoothly that evening.

"Em." Naomi stopped walking, suddenly whipping around because she could feel Emily's entangled hand shaking against hers. "Listen to me. It's gonna be alright yeah? It's just an event."

"I can't help it." Emily's shaky voice came out low, raspier than ever. "I've never been in a social gathering with you before."

"It'll be like any other party." Naomi reassured with a smile, dipping her head in to give Emily a quick kiss. "Besides, I'll be with you all night long."

"Yeah, you're right." Emily forced out a smile and leaned forwards for another kiss, if only Katie didn't yell at them for taking bloody too long.

It was something uncanny, the thing Emily was feeling, and she couldn't actually put a finger to it, but it had been bothering her all evening.

***

Later on, she discovered what it was all about.

Ever since they had arrived and stepped into the red carpet, past the several photographers and reporters, Effy and Naomi had been constantly paired, almost lasting the whole night, that Emily ended up plainly sitting next to Katie on their reserved table, like it was some fucking rejects table in a school cafeteria sense, with Naomi leaving her ever so often because she had to face and eventually interact with people she knew, meet people she didn't.

"This event sucks." Katie huffed out, because she herself wasn't enjoying and Cook looked so damn bored that it wasn't helping with the mood at all.

"I thought you liked elite parties." Emily asked, twirling the knife over and over just so she could have something to do.

"Well, yeah." Katie replied, a little bit hesitant. "But apparently, you don't get to, like, enjoy these things when you're not famous."

"I'd rather be in a fucking pub." Cook grumbled under his breath.

"That's coz you're a loser."

"Emily." Katie reprimanded, shooting a sharp glare. "There are only three of us left in this table yeah? Don't start."

Emily rolled her eyes at Katie's remark, but did so since she had no choice anyway. "Sorry."

A few more minutes of solid silence and Cook was already at the end of his thread. "Where the fuck is Naomi anyway?"

"I don't know." Emily sighed helplessly, her eyes wandering around the whole place, hoping to see any sign of Naomi's whereabouts.

"Probably out somewhere there with Miss 'I'm so mysterious' to meet Mister and Miss 'yeah we're famous come on let's hang out for boring tea'." Katie hissed sharply, her hand slamming over the table a bit too forcefully that it shook, as well as the cutlery above it.

"Preggo girl being hormonal again?" Naomi jumped from out of nowhere with Effy standing next to her, dangerously too close as Emily could notice, but then again, she could be wrong. She slipped in on her chair, next to Emily, and Effy followed suit, much to Emily's utter disappointment.

"Where were you?" Katie exclaimed, tone obviously miffed. "You left us here to rot."

"Sorry. Effy and I had to meet a few people." Naomi apologized, though it was more directed towards Emily rather than Katie.

Emily tried to ignore the way her heart constricted at the mention of Effy's name. "It's alright."

"I'm sure Emily understands Nai." Effy interjected, saying Naomi's name with a particular touch in it, sounding as if it was all lovingly. "Right Emily?" She added with a quirk of her brow, goading Emily as it would seem, and it felt like Effy had suddenly declared a tacit war between them, and Naomi was the fucking prize.

Emily wasn't going to back down.

"Yeah, right." She forced a wide smile, struggling to keep it there plastered in her face, even if it meant that she'd be faking it the whole night, just to not give Effy any form of satisfaction. She reached for Naomi's hand, threading their fingers together, and made sure that Effy could clearly see it, their entwined hands that was, the little scowl briefly flashing at Effy's face somehow bringing her a feeling of relief and confidence. "I definitely understand."

Effy's lips curled up to a rather amused smirk, much to Emily's surprise. "So Nai." She leaned forth, propped her elbow at the table while she caught her chin on her open palm.

Naomi shifted on her seat to face Effy in a comfortable position, though at the same time, not completely turning her back to Emily, their hands still intact. "Yeah?"

"You up for the offer?" Effy asked, in that Effy-esque way of hers that it disarmed Naomi in some way, and she turned blank for a second or so, just plain staring as she met Effy's eyes, drowning in those pools of electric blue at once, while Emily painfully watched in silence as it all happened in front of her.

"What offer?" Katie butted in, breaking the brief but not so subtle contact unknowingly.

"We're being paired up to do an advert and a shoot for some toothpaste product." Naomi answered, squeezing Emily's hand upon noticing her sudden change of mood.

"Oh right." Katie nodded in understanding, chanced a subtle glance to her sister's direction, and the look on Emily's face was making her want to wipe off the smirk on Effy's face in the most twisted ways that she could think of. "You gonna do it then?"

Naomi's gaze wandered to Emily. "If Em wouldn't mind, I'd--"

"Why would Emily mind?" Effy broke off, with an added smirk that Emily could see as a feigned friendly smile. "I mean, it's just the two of us." She placed her hand on top of Naomi's free one, covered the whole length of it. "Right?"

Something inside Emily snapped, as much as she tried to keep her jealousy at bay, because Effy wasn't making it any easier. She could feel her body nearly starting to shake, her fingers were beginning to tremble but she fought to keep her head cool, because she knew that if there was something that Effy wanted, it was for her to start an argument. "It's fine with me Nai." She swallowed hard, pushed the lump in her throat that was starting to form, blocking the air out. "Why not?"

"Well, it's settled then." Naomi heaved a breath of relief. A few locks of hair fell down from her neatly arranged style and she stilled, eyes flickering to her both taken hands, because she was suddenly uncertain about which hand to pull, to rid of the locks hindering her eyes, if it should be the one Effy was holding, or the one Emily was clutching like she was holding on for dear life.

It was an unfunny representation of a real life situation, the perfect analogy to how twisted their circumstances were and somehow, Emily knew that this was the case.

Emily reached out, like she always did, would always do, and caught the locks to tuck it behind Naomi's ear; loosened her grip on Naomi as she planned to excuse herself for a little while, to take a little break because she was finding it hard to breathe, like the walls were closing in on her. That few seconds of hesitation, of deep thinking Naomi had gone into was doing her head in, the fact that Naomi had to think of who to choose. "I'm just gonna go to the bathroom." She pulled Naomi without warning, kissing her as hard as she could, never mind that they were in a very public place and that everybody could see, because she needed this, some form of assurance to somehow calm her down and keep her sane, needed to feel Naomi kissing back, because it was the only source of comfort that she could think of at that moment, knowing that it was something Effy couldn't do, at least for now. She stood up, smiled to herself despite the things going on inside her head, because at least, she had managed to bring a huge frown in Effy's face.

Naomi nodded and watched as Emily left the table, with weary eyes, the hand that Emily left unoccupied instantaneously feeling cold, and she knew that it definitely had nothing to do with the temperature of the place.

***

It felt like she was in the middle of a fucking game of tug of war, and she was the fucking rope.

Emily was still in the bathroom, God knows what was taking her so long, although Naomi fairly had an idea about it, and Effy had slipped out of her seat, mumbling something about meeting some random person Naomi wasn't familiar with, and she was left with Cook at the table, because Katie had been asked for a private interview for a particular fashion magazine.

She started to look around, as some sort of entertainment while waiting for anybody to come back so she'd have some company other than Cook, his low grumbles annoying her more than it was making her laugh. She caught Effy's eyes in the process, a smirk thrown her way before Effy averted her gaze, turning into some random girl Effy was talking with, and a twinge of something started rising above her chest, something she could only think of as jealousy, and she tore her eyes away; settled them on some stained spot down at the table. She knew she wasn't supposed to be feeling this way, had no right or reason to be jealous of the flirtatious looks and touches coming from the girl that Effy was receiving whole heartedly no matter how blatant was it, shouldn't be feeling jealous because she was already committed to somebody else.

As she caught a glimpse of Emily, the feeling of being tugged on both ways began.

She could see flashes of Emily's bright red hair as Emily emerged from the crowd of people standing and hovering around, slowly making her way to her, and she started bouncing on her seat, unable to wait for Emily to come back just so she could say something comforting in some sense, to somehow ease the evident discomfort Emily was feeling.

But Emily was stopped halfway on her walk back to the table, by a random girl Naomi herself wasn't familiar with, and she watched at the edge of her seat as Emily entertained the girl, with a fucking wide smile that was supposed to be only for her and her alone, or at least she thought. She tried to dismiss the idea, tried to think that the girl was just asking about some random thing she could not care less, but the pang of jealousy kicking her in the chest was far too strong for her to ignore, as well as the obvious flirtatious looks and actions she was witnessing coming from the random girl. Her fingers had started to curl into tight fists, a little absentmindedly, and she was almost rising from her seat.

"Aren't you going to get her?" Cook asked, from out of nowhere. His eyes trained at Emily and the girl.

"Why would I?" Naomi asked back, and it sounded so strained that she had a sudden inkling to clear her throat. "I'm sure that she's just asking Em about something."

Cook snorted out loud, in that annoying way of his. "I'm pretty sure that's not just plain asking Naomi."

Naomi heaved a deep, exasperated sigh, averting her eyes momentarily because she knew that if she didn't do so, she'd end up marching over where Emily was stood and would catch everybody's attention, would end up risking herself of being embarrassed in front of the whole crowd if ever she was wrong.

"Cook." She called out instead, eyes briefly flickering between Effy and Emily, although her gaze was lingering at the latter.

"Yeah?" Cook answered, following her line of sight, and he snickered at the unreadable look prominent on Naomi's face when he turned his head back at her. "What?"

Naomi brushed the scoff off. "Have you ever felt like you're a rope caught in the middle of a game of tug of war?"

Cook snorted laughter. "What? A game of tug of war?"

Naomi rolled her eyes, deciding all at once to drop the conversation because it seemed to be heading to nowhere anyway, because, well, it was Cook. "Never mind. Forget that I ever asked."

Cook shook his head and looked at her, observing in silence for a minute, and when he was sure enough that it was indeed of serious matter, he finally spoke. "You feel like you're being pulled into opposite directions at the same time." He watched as Naomi dropped the fork she had picked up and played with, dragged her eyes up to see him, and she was looking at him in a way like he suddenly grew another head. "They both want you Naomi. Everybody can see that."

"Effy doesn't want me Cook." She tried to protest, although the confident expression evident on Cook's face pretty much told her that she wasn't going to win the argument.

"I don't think so."

"Cook, she--"

"Naomi." He interrupted, mid-sentence, to insist his point. "I don't usually care about loads of shit happening around me yeah? But let me tell you this. The fact that I don't care and yet I see it, how much Effy wants you must mean something innit?"

Naomi propped her elbows on top of the table and clasped her hands together, pressing her lips against the two thumbs in front of her as she sighed wearily. Her eyes flickered again from Emily who seemed to be itching to end the conversation but was just being too nice about it, and Effy who seemed to be actually enjoying hers. "No." She shook her head. "It's not possible."

"Fucking--" Cook grumbled under his breath, stopped midway of cursing to scrunch his face with an open palm. "Fine. If that's what you want to believe." He huffed out, a bit too gruffly that he earned another glare from Naomi. "But that tug of war thing you were talking about?"

"What about it?"

Cook straightened in his seat as he caught a glimpse of Katie fast approaching their way, fixed his bow tie first with a cheesy grin plastered on his face, one that Naomi had never seen, because Cook's grins were almost always either stupid or annoying. "In that game, there's always somebody who's got the stronger pull. There's no such thing as being stuck in the middle."

Naomi's forehead folded into tight creases. "But what if--"

"The rope goes along with the direction of the stronger pull Naomi. It always does."

Naomi's eyes flickered between Effy and Emily again, once, twice, thrice, and every single time she looked, she was getting more and more confused, the confusion itself doing her head in.

A witnessed flick of the hand, touching the cheek lovingly was what it took for Naomi to sort things out in her head, in some way, because it finally hit her, how huge the difference was in the amount of jealousy, how strong and heavy the twinge she was feeling for one that the other had became almost too unnoticeable.


	44. Changes

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 43

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_When realization hit her, it hit her hard;_

**A/N:** Big thanks to my beta Nat (Naomilyox) and TDTC. Terribly sorry for the delay, I had to deal with some RL stuff. Hope you all like this one though!

When realization hit her, it hit her hard; hit her squarely in the chest that her heart constricted tight on the spot. It felt like a physical blow in some way, and it almost knocked her off her seat, because it was so fucking distinct now, the huge difference of what she was feeling that was, so fucking distinct that she couldn't help but feel stupid for not being able to realize it before, not as early as she should have.

She watched closely, with half squinted, wary eyes peering just above her clasped hands, never missing one movement at all, may it be a flick of the hand, a blink of an eye or a flirtatious wink, she could see it all ever so clearly.

The longer she watched, the stronger the tugging feeling felt.

But it was that particular touch in the cheek, the offending hand lingering too long, fingers practically brushing and caressing the soft skin that had quickly tainted red, the shy blush fast spreading; and they started playing with locks of stray, fallen hair, twirling here and there, which was enough to send her to the edge of her seat, the last thing she actually needed to finally admit things and sort them out into their right places.

Suddenly, it all became too much.

The next thing she knew, she was up on her feet, making her way through the unsuspecting crowd, her strides wide yet fast.

"Naomi!"

She didn't bother to turn around at the sound of her name being called, hissed actually, even if it was repeated a few more times, the lisps she could hear growing fainter and fainter with each heavy step she took away from their table, her eyes trained on one particular spot which she had been looking at for countless of minutes already. "Where the fuck are you going?"

She knew she was already catching enough attention by the way she was trampling across the floor, her heels clattering loudly as they made contact with the wooden floorboards, but it was the least of all her concerns now, the mantra in her mind going on endless loops, over and over, louder and louder, as if it was screaming in some way, the words '_get your hands off her_' swirling inside her head aimlessly. She had no idea how it even began, but it kept getting louder as she drew close.

By the end of her walk, stopping at a considerable distance away from her purpose, she knew she had been seen, considering the look that had dawned on _their_ faces, one curious and rather a bit smug, the other equally torn between horrified and just plain thankful. "Naomi." Her name had been said again, though much softer this time, but was drowned by the pounding beats of her heart, along with the rest of the noises surrounding her, drowned through the frantic _thud thuds_ she could hear reverberating loudly inside her ears.

Her greeting came out so strained, voice so dangerously low that it sunk somewhere deep within her stomach when she sucked in a lungful of air. "Hey." She nodded her head to the random girl, well, tried at least, merely out of having been raised with manners, since her body had suddenly become too stiff to move, her muscles tensing tight by each second that passed. "Who's your new friend?" She asked, though in a satiric sense of things, and the words rolled out of her tongue with too much venom in it, that she was practically spitting them out. "Would you mind introducing her to me, _Emily_?"

***

Emily was far too occupied with the way Naomi was strangely acting, that it took her quite a while before she could respond, her first reaction actually being a "huh?", followed by an "oh, right" into which Naomi had answered with a plain raise of her brow. "Yeah, uhm, Naomi this is--"

"The name's Addie." The random girl broke off, offering a sweet and noticeably flirty smile to Emily first before stretching her hand out for Naomi to shake. "Naomi Campbell right?"

Naomi stared at the held out hand ridiculously too long, that Addie felt the need to just pull it back, having been sent the message that Naomi wasn't there to make acquaintances, let alone, friends, specially not with her.

"Nai--" Emily called out with a little warning in her tone, though there was much more pleading in it, as if she was asking Naomi to rather play nice.

Unfortunately, Naomi was in no mood for it.

"You done talking to my girlfriend?" She blurted out of nowhere, that it took Emily and Addie by surprise, the acid in her tone undeniable. "Because if you are, I'd like to take her home now."

"Naomi." Emily tried again; took a step towards her to put a hand on her arm.

"_If_ you don't mind." Naomi continued with such weight, brushing off Emily's entreaty completely.

"No." Addie answered; feigned a wide smile, her teeth bare and all. "Not at all."

"Thank you."

"See you around Emily. You have my number, call me yeah?" She raised a hand and threw a small wave at Emily's direction; flipped her hair off her shoulders as she turned around, and it seemed more like a 'fuck you' directed to Naomi for some reason.

"Right." Naomi scoffed, eyes following Addie's retreating form until she was completely out of her sight. When she turned her head back, she was faced with a scowling Emily, obviously miffed, Emily's eyes turning into half slits. "You have her number?"

"No, I don't." Emily replied forcefully, though with a low voice, fully aware that they were still in a public place. "I don't just get numbers from people I just met, you know." She shook her head. "And that was rather un-called for Naomi. Did you really have to be rude?"

"What?" Naomi exclaimed in disbelief. "Me? Rude?"

"She's just being friendly." Emily gestured her hand; pointed it towards Addie's general direction.

"I'm pretty sure that that wasn't just being friendly." Naomi snapped back, mimicking the way Emily had delivered the last few words.

"Jesus Christ, you're fucking unbelievable." Emily sighed through gritted teeth as she pushed past Naomi, heading outside of the hall straightaway, feeling a dire need of fresh air in her hopes that it would help calm her down and clear her mind.

"Oh so now this is all my fault?" She heard a voice echoing sharply behind her; nearly jumped at the sound of it because she had no idea that she was being followed.

Emily whipped around in such a startling speed that it caught Naomi off guard completely, halting as quickly as she could in response, her movements nearly causing her to lose her balance. "I never said anything like that." Emily turned again, continuing her brisk steps until she reached the parking lot, just about the right place she needed to be.

"Sounds the same thing to me."

Emily ran her fingers through her hair, slightly pulling them out in the process, because the whole situation was just frustrating the hell out of her. "Naomi, will you just--"

"Why are you even defending her?" Naomi snapped back, taking a little step forwards that she was almost towering over Emily.

"I'm not." Emily answered firmly, and despite the height difference, she faced Naomi with equal amounts of temper. "Why are you even so wound up?"

Naomi's grumble reverberated out through gritted teeth, her nostrils growing wide as it flared, and before she knew it, she was spilling out things she hadn't even had a chance to think about. "Because I'm fucking jealous okay? She's flinging herself at you for fuck's sake! And you look like you don't even notice it!"

Emily knew she should be feeling overly surprised, or celebratory at the least, but all she felt was more frustration and anger, the thoughts spinning fast inside her head, such as how unfair the circumstances were to her. "Oh now, so you can get jealous and I can't?"

It was Naomi's turn to be surprised. "What?"

"Apparently, your _best friend_'s almost near to snogging your face off."

"Why do people keep saying that?" Naomi snapped back, and the force in her tone made Emily flinch a tad bit.

"Because it's what's happening!" Emily retorted soon after recovering, her fingers balling into fists, an attempt to stop her hands from flailing around like mad. "Everybody could see Naomi! Open your fucking eyes!"

Nimble fingers started to run along both temples of Naomi's head. "How many times do I have to tell you that--"

A loud snort coming from Emily broke Naomi's rant off. "You know what? This is fucking ridiculous." She held her hands up in surrender, gesturing for them to just stop fighting, because, well, they had just gone into one a few days before and Emily definitely didn't want a repeat.

"Yes, it is." Naomi replied matter-of-factly; took another tentative step towards Emily, that they were no more than an inch apart. "So will you just please forget about the idea of Effy flirting with me or even having feelings for me?"

"Ugh." Emily rolled her eyes. "Leave it okay?"

"Drop the ridiculous thought then."

Emily merely shook her head in answer, more of disbelief rather than protest.

"Oi! Where are you going?" Naomi shouted frantically upon seeing Emily turn around and head out of the edifice straightaway.

"I'm going home." Emily called out without even bothering to look back, her feet continuously treading towards the exit gates in a rather furious manner.

An exasperated breath passed through Naomi's lips, her chest rising up in an alarming height in the process. "Don't be stupid Em. There are no buses passing by here!"

"Cab home" was the last thing she heard before Emily completely disappeared from her sight, and she couldn't quite help but to grow more and more frustrated by their constant fighting over things they shouldn't really be bothering with. She turned around, kicked the first tire she ever saw in one of the vehicles and cursed loudly, because, well, she knew she should be following Emily, yet she couldn't just leave without at least telling anybody. Apparently, being a famous person had prices to pay. "Emily!" She called out one last time, though she wasn't even sure if Emily was still able to hear it.

"Fucking hell." She murmured under her breath, and she was almost turning around towards the direction of the exit gates, so near to running after Emily because she felt heavy inside, regarding how things had ended up that night between them. It felt so wrong to just leave it like that, so uncomfortable that she couldn't even find the will to go back inside and fake a fucking smile in front of the people she knew she'd meet and have a conversation or two.

She shook her head, propped her hands against both her hips as she lifted one foot to take a step towards the entrance of the main hall, yet it felt like her heels suddenly weighed tons and tons, and it was such a struggle to take the first step towards inside the hall that she ended up turning around again, facing the exit gates' general direction. Her deep breaths mingled with the thick, damp air while she tried to close her eyes and calm herself down, because at her state, she couldn't really think of anything to do about the situation.

"Hey." She jumped at the sound, quickly twisting around, and exhaled a breath of relief upon finding that it was just Effy.

"Jesus, you scared me there." She chuckled nervously. "Why aren't you inside?"

"Why aren't you?" Effy asked instead.

Naomi watched as Effy took another step towards her, so that their distance were almost just an inch apart, and Naomi had to resist the urge of stepping back as Effy progressed, even though it sort of felt like invading her personal space, because she still found the _idea_ ridiculous, in all of its sense. "I, uhm--" She stuttered for a bit and cleared her throat, pushing her frantic beating heart back alongside the shakiness of her voice. "It's nothing Eff. I really don't want to talk about it."

Effy's lips twitched into what looked like a half smirk and a half smile. "Had another fight with Emily eh?"

"Seriously Eff." Naomi started, dropping off a blatant hint with the tone of her voice. "I don't want to talk about it."

Effy stayed in silence for a good while, her stares getting heavier by the second, that it somehow made Naomi feel a bit queasy, when, before, it didn't if truth be told. "Fine. Don't just stand there then." She smirked, an idea suddenly clicking in her mind. "Wanna go somewhere else?"

Naomi found herself already nodding her head in answer before she could even ponder on the idea or think things out. "Fuck this stupid party."

The smile on Effy's face was a little apprehensive, which gave Naomi a sudden inkling that they were headed off to something she might regret later on.

***

"Where do you wanna go Em?" Naomi called out casually, eyes fixed on the road.

Effy's brows lined up in one straight line. "What did you say?"

Naomi turned her head briefly to look at Effy. "I said, where do you want to go?" She watched in quick, consecutive glances as Effy stilled in her seat, looking so surprised about something. "Eff?"

A small, shaky laugh escaped from Effy's lips. "You just called me Em."

The car skidded to a stop, in accordance with the red traffic light, and Naomi slowly shifted on her seat, taking the opportunity to clear it up. "I did?"

Effy's eyes were already glued past the window on the passenger's side. "Yeah, you did."

In a matter of seconds, the car was moving again, and the roar of its engine was the only sound that could be heard for a good while. "I'm sorry." Naomi swallowed hard, shaking her head in disbelief in the process. "I was just worried. Emily took off alone and there are no buses at this time of the night anymore. I don't know if she's able to go home safely."

Effy didn't utter another word, nor even give any hint which could at least tell that she understood things, and it was all the sign that Naomi needed to shut her mouth, pretending not to care about Emily anymore, although the look in her eyes were saying otherwise.

***

The first question that Effy asked (later on that night when they were in the safety of the most secluded part of the club they frequently went into) caught Naomi entirely off guard, because it was so straightforward that she actually stuttered in answer.

"Did you know that I like you?"

Droplets of vodka splattered all over the table as Naomi choked on the liquor she was drinking, swallowing all too quickly that the liquid created a burning trail at the back of her tongue and straight to her throat as it worked its way down. "The fuck Effy?" She spat out, wiping the remnants of vodka in her lips with the back of her hand. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, did you?" Effy asked again, ignoring Naomi's remarks altogether, this time, voice more forceful.

"No." Naomi replied stiffly as her fingers wrapped around the moist shot glass, and oddly, she was finding some sort of comfort from the coldness that was seeping through the glass. "Seriously Effy, I--"

"I did." Effy broke off; tilted her head to the side while blowing out a stream of smoke which clouded Naomi's eyes for a second, since she was sat next to her in the booth they chose to stay at. "I do."

A strangled groan reverberated deep within Naomi's throat, which she actually meant to be a scream but couldn't do so for known and unknown reasons, because people had been right all along, Katie, Cook, Emily; had been right about things which she chose to blatantly ignore, when in fact, it was screaming in front of her already. "Effy, why are you telling me this now?"

Effy let her shot glass slide to the center of the table; grabbed the bottle of vodka instead and took a long swig from it, because if she was going to spill everything out now, she'd take any form of boost the liquor could offer. "I made things hard for you Nai."

"I don't understand." Naomi replied in a soft tone and a slight shake of the head. "I don't get it."

"I know about the contract." Effy said matter-of-factly, stubbing the cigarette out as she blew out the last stream of smoke. "I knew about the contract and I told Emily that I know all about it."

"Oh." It should have been a surprise, but Naomi had enough information already swimming in her head, too much to process to be exact, that the newly added ones didn't sink in at once, her reactions to things not of those that Effy had expected them to be, not even near. "Emily never told me anything."

Effy snorted another shaky laugh. "That's because she's so fucking in love with you that she hates the idea of making you choose." Another swig from the bottle. "And it makes me feel more ridiculous about myself."

"What did you exactly tell her?" Naomi grabbed the bottle from Effy's hand and took a mouthful herself, suddenly feeling her throat run dry and a dire need to quench it.

"I might have told her to fuck off." Effy let out another laugh, like everything was a fucking joke to her, and Naomi admired it and hated it at the same time, because Effy was so good at this, at hiding her real emotions, as if nothing could ever break her apart. "And that I'm planning to get you back."

"Eff--" Naomi called out hesitatingly, though Effy ignored it altogether.

"But I think I was too late." Effy's head slowly turned around, eyes fixing immediately at Naomi's somewhat surprised face, and she watched for a moment as Naomi's brow quirked repeatedly, her teeth catching her bottom lip in between; and it was all that Effy could take before deciding to push her luck through, because, well, it could be her last chance. She leaned in without hesitation and pressed her lips against Naomi's own, closing her eyes in the process because she was letting herself feel, even if the pang of regrets were hitting her consecutively, she didn't let go nor pull back, even if Naomi's lips were perfectly still, unmoving.

"Effy, what the hell are you doing?" Naomi asked, pushing Effy away by her shoulders.

"I need something to remind me Nai." Effy swallowed hard, clinging into Naomi's arms like she was keeping herself up, holding for her dear life. "I need to at least take something with me before I let you go."

"What?"

"Please." It came out so breathless, the faint sound mixing with the stale air lingering around the club, but it was all that Naomi needed to nod her head and allow it to happen, for reasons she knew and some that she didn't.

When Effy bridged the gap, Naomi closed her eyes; tried to think back to the time when this kiss was one of the things she used to wish to come true, but it seemed so fucking distant right now, the memory of the wanting itself, that she could barely remember when exactly did she start wishing for it to happen.

***

Naomi did not head straight home, but went to some other bar instead, drowning herself to consecutive vodka shots and bottles and bottles of beer, just because she couldn't exactly tell which was hurting her more, the fact that she was wrong the whole time, defending Effy to everyone else she knew, or the pang of guilt kicking her hard in the chest for kissing Effy without any form of hesitation or protest.

'Too much information' had never been truer to her.

It was all so confusing, too much for her to handle, and there was just so very little that she could grasp amongst all the information divulged to her, and it was only in her inebriated state that she could think things through, see things clearly, as odd as it would seem.

Emily stood out among everything else.

***

She stumbled at their front door, tripping on the last doorstep because she was that fucking uncoordinated already, that it was actually a miracle that she had managed to drive home unscathed. She pushed the door open, giggling at the soft creak it made, as ridiculous as it would seem because she wasn't even high on anything, and she had a sudden inkling to call out Emily's name loudly and announce that she was home, like what husbands do to stupid, clichéd sitcoms she had seen before. Although she decided not to do so, in the better judgment of things, since Emily might probably be asleep already at this point of the night.

She wondered for a moment as she made her way, swaying side to side past the hallway and down to the living room, why Zeus wasn't barking or anything, when he usually did every time she'd come home, though it was answered in an instant when she found him and Emily sleeping by the couch, Zeus' head lying at Emily's lap.

It was such a struggle to tread towards Emily without tumbling down; had to stop a few times to steady herself and smooth her skirt and her hair, (how she suddenly became so conscious of what she looked like, she didn't know, let alone, the reason for it), and she couldn't help but giggle once again, just because.

She caused Emily to stir from her sleepy state when she plopped down the couch callously, almost like jumping to her seat, the impact making the couch seat bounce up and down.

Emily blinked a few times, shaking the remnants of her sleep away. "Nai." She softly called out, grimacing a little at the sight of Naomi's drunken state, her hair disheveled in so many ways that Emily could almost tell that Naomi drove with the windows rolled down. "Jesus, you're drunk." She worriedly mouthed, freeing her hands from holding the puppy to attend to a half sleepy, half grinning Naomi, although she really didn't know where to start. "Did you drive home?"

She was supposed to be mad at her, but Naomi looked so fucking lost that every ounce of anger just dissolved into nothingness in just one simple look.

Naomi bobbed her head in a rather smug way, pounding her chest in the process. "'Course. I'm a Class A driver yeah?"

"Christ." Emily blew out an exasperated breath. "Don't do that again alright?"

"Do what?"

"Driving when you're proper drunk." Emily hissed, rolled her eyes even. "You might end up in an accident or something worse."

Naomi squinted her eyes and opened them wide afterwards, doing the same in an alternating manner for a few more times because her vision had started to get hazy and a little clouded, though Emily's hair had never seemed this bright under the pale light of their living room, almost as bright as what she often saw in her vivid dreams. She reached forth and touched it, letting her fingers run through the strands of Emily's hair, her hand sliding down to cup Emily's cheek while the pad of her thumb continuously stroked the soft, blushing skin under it. "Are you still mad at me?"

Emily shook her head helplessly. "I don't know. Probably a bit, but--I don't know."

"I'm not mad at you, just so you know." Naomi grinned widely as she squeezed Emily's nose lightly in between her fingers. "I'm probably more angry at myself, because, because--"

"We can talk about it tomorrow." She heard Emily speak; could feel a finger pressed against her lips to shush her, but she knew she was shaking her head in massive protest. "Come on Nai-Nai, I'll take you upstairs yeah?"

"I need to tell you something first." She spoke in between small, squeaky hiccups that made Emily giggle a tad bit, although she could see that Emily was fighting hard to keep a straight face. "We can have sex later yeah? You can like, make me your slave and tie me to the bed with furry handcuffs, but I need to say something first before anything else." The look on her face probably had been so serious because she could see that Emily was so genuinely surprised, Emily's jaw slacking so low that it nearly dropped and scraped the floor.

"I'm not planning to make you my slave, or tie you to bed or anything." Emily murmured as soon as she recovered, her cheeks turning into a deep shade of red out of chagrin. "I'm--"

"You turning me down now Fitch?"

"What? No." Emily replied in an amused tone, taking Naomi's hand in hers. "But you need to sleep, because the hangover's gonna kill you tomorrow."

"Oh, right." Naomi stilled for a beat, as if pondering on Emily's words, because oddly, the concern evident in them were making her heart turn over beneath her chest. "I thought you're turning me down."

"You twat." Emily fell into a light chuckle, leaning in for a kiss when Naomi's hand stopped her midway.

"Em, wait." Naomi whispered, sliding her hand from Emily's shoulder down to her waist.

"What?"

"I told you I need to tell you something." She insisted, blinking a few more times because the haze clouding her eyes was getting heavier by the second. "And I need to say it before you kiss me because when you kiss me, I won't be able to stop and I won't be able to tell you what I want to tell you, understand?"

"Okay." Emily nodded hesitantly, pressing her lips together as she waited for the next thing that Naomi had to say.

Naomi swallowed hard, taking huge deep breaths in the process, because this was it, she was about to spill every fucking thing out, and it was making her nervous more than ever, that walking down the runway with little clothes on was nothing compared to this, to how much she was feeling this exact moment. "Okay, so." She started, pausing to take another huge swallow, and there were beads of sweat starting to form in her forehead and the back of her neck, her palms getting clammy. Their intertwined hands were the only source of comfort she could find assurance and courage from, though it felt enough, at least for the meantime. "I should've told you this sooner, but you know I'm a big twat and really, really stupid that's why it took me ages to tell you."

"What is it Nai?"

Another long swallow. "Emily, I, uhm, I--" Her heart was practically racing, the frantic beats loudly ringing in her ears, and it felt like she was carrying it in her throat, lodged in the middle that the words she was supposed to say were blocked from getting out. And it all became too much for her to bear from then on, the expectant and warm glint evident in Emily's eyes, the way she was looking at her lovingly, that look that was just so Emily, would always be Emily, too much that it was almost hurting her in some way; how Emily's lips were quivering and curling to the side, her button nose crinkling in the process. "I, I--" The next two words were at the tip of her tongue, hanging stiffly in there, just waiting to be verbalized. "I l--"

But it was all too fucking much, her head and her vision spinning constantly though it had less to do with the alcohol, and the next thing she knew, she was heaving all the contents of her stomach at the carpeted floor before everything went pitch black.

***

When she stirred from her sleep the next morning, the space next to hers was already empty, save for a note lying under the covers with two tablets of Ibuprofen on top. She rolled to her side and picked the note up, holding it above her head while obstructing the light coming from out of the window in some way, because it was making the throbbing in her head worse.

_Off with Katie for her monthly check up. Breakfast is ready. It's in the nightstand in case you get hungry. Sorry for just leaving a note, I didn't want to wake you up._

_I'll be back as soon as I can._

_Em xx_

She smiled despite the head splitting ache; popped the Ibuprofen in her mouth and chewed it like it was some form of sweet candy because she was too lazy to actually sit properly and swallow the tablet wholly, before grimacing at the bitter taste of it that she nearly dived for the bottle of water standing by her nightstand, along with what seemed to be a sandwich which Emily made and perhaps strong brewed coffee enclosed in a small thermos flask.

When she closed her eyes again, she tried hard not to remember anything she did the past night, since she was pretty much sure that it was something stupid anyways, and the last thing she saw before she drifted off to sleep were strands of bright red hair and a silver flask full of coffee.

***

The first thought that came to her mind when she woke up again, midday, was '_it's about fucking time._'

It was probably a part of a dream she could not remember anymore or something, the idea of changing how things usually work that was, and it surprised her a lot, how she was looking forward to these changes, how she was willing to let someone aside from herself take over the control of things. It was supposed to be somewhat daunting, at least for her, but something bigger was eating up all the fear and the remnants of it, replacing it with something heartwarming, something she could only associate with one particular thing: _love_.

It wasn't actually as hard as she thought, admitting things to herself, and she had never felt lighter than ever, like every single burden had been lifted off her shoulders just because.

She jumped out of bed, the pain in her head now tolerable unlike earlier, and hurried downstairs, planning to phone JJ for some help she knew she would need since it was the very first time she ever thought of confessing to somebody, the very first time it ever crossed her mind; and she was so new to these kinds of things that she couldn't help but be scared somehow, of how things would turn out in the end, although it felt amazing at the same time.

She picked up Zeus or rather Nemo on her way down, making a mental note to herself to call the puppy Nemo from then on since it was what Emily wanted, plus the fact that she gave the puppy to Emily as a present, so Emily pretty much had bigger rights than her, to name him according to what she wanted.

It was all a whirlwind of emotions from the moment JJ had picked up the phone and agreed to come over, because his presence somehow made things more real to her, and it was then when the fretfulness started to kick in.

***

JJ arrived on time, unsurprisingly.

"What time will Emily go home?" Was the first thing he asked, even before he had managed to step inside the house and made himself comfortable, and his obviously giddy state was making Naomi more nervous, as odd as it would seem.

"Probably late in the afternoon." She answered anyways. "She texted me earlier and told me that there were lots of people in the hospital today. They might be running late."

JJ nodded his head in comprehension, turning quickly at the corner leading to the kitchen while continuing to mumble things unremittingly. "We have plenty of time to prepare, since basing on my calculations," he paused, chanced a glance at his wristwatch, "Emily and Katie would be here around five or six, thus, giving us more than enough time actually." He stopped by the kitchen counter, throwing his rucksack over, and something clinked softly against the tiled surface. He raised his head and smiled widely at Naomi. "I brought some stuff just in case."

"Right." Naomi pressed her lips together as she leaned by the sink. "I think I have everything we need though, but it's good that you also brought some stuff."

JJ answered with another friendly smile. "Shall we start?"

***

She insisted on doing things herself, no matter how much apprehensive JJ was.

"Jesus Christ! Ow!" She shouted for the umpteenth time that afternoon, amidst the chopping of onions, cursing and grumbling under her breath as her grip on the chopping knife tightened, because she was so near to throwing it across the room, having been cut for several times already, while JJ stood and watched in a considerable, safe distance, because unlike Naomi, he _actually_ feared for his own safety.

"Naomi, are you alright?"

Naomi brought her hand up and examined the offended finger, blowing some air into it to alleviate the stinging somehow. "Just another scratch. It's nothing." She wiped her hands on her apron and went back to chopping at once, hissing a little as the small cuts she had managed to inflict on herself made contact with the onion's juice.

JJ took a tentative step forwards, hovering beside Naomi. "You sure you don't want any help? Emily will surely kill me if she finds out that you actually hurt yourself while doing this."

"I want to do this on my own J." Naomi replied, tipping her head up to catch some fresh air and blink the tears that had started to fill her eyes away.

"Can--" JJ paused hesitatingly, clasping his hands together and rubbing his palms from time to time, as he watched Naomi sheepishly from under his lids. "Can I ask why?"

Naomi dragged her eyes down, turning her head to catch JJ's own. "For a change." She answered with a small smile, chuckling more to herself as she reverted her attention back to the chopping board.

***

An hour and a half later, she was covered with flour, large smudges of chocolate all over her face, and a few cuts and burns, mainly on her fingers, from cooking the spaghetti (which JJ specifically pointed out as the perfect dish since it was Emily's favorite).

She waited impatiently for the oven's familiar 'ding', her fingers tapping against her arms as she folded them above her chest, while JJ settled comfortably into one of the seats at the dining table, waiting as well. His eyes roamed around the whole place, and he had to stifle the laughter quickly bubbling up inside him at the sight of the entire kitchen in a giant mess, the flour spread all over the counters, droplets of chocolate everywhere, in which he could easily conclude that the entire cooking struggle left the kitchen in a disaster.

The sound echoed a few minutes after and Naomi nearly jumped towards the oven, fumbling with the pot holders and the tray a little that the cupcakes jiggled in place. The smell of them filled her nose at once when she carried them out of the oven, and she couldn't help but give herself a pat in the back for a job well done.

"They smell delicious." JJ said, in praise, as Naomi set the tray down the table. "Although, they kind of look a little bit funny to me."

Naomi took in the appearance of the chocolate cupcakes as she tossed the pot holders aside, and slapped her forehead in the end, grimacing at what the cupcakes ended up to look like. The red icing which she meant to look as straight hair turned curly for some reason, the button nose and the lips she drew grew wider than they should have been, and there were some parts of the cupcake that were slightly darker than the others. Worse, the beauty mark she patiently dotted on each piece grew larger that it almost looked like it was some sort of a lump or something.

"They look like a bunch of cute clowns."

Naomi's head snapped up, shooting JJ with sharp, dagger-like stares that made him shiver with fright. "What?"

"I--I mean, they don't look like Emily." JJ's lips started to quiver frantically. "Shit! No! I mean, they quite look like Emily when she's smiling wide, yes, grinning."

Naomi's eyes squinted to half-slits. "Are you saying that _my_ girlfriend looks like a clown?"

JJ's shoulders were now shaking while he shook his head exceedingly. "No, no, no, no." He raised his hand, gesturing alongside his head, and if Naomi just wasn't feeling disappointed with her cupcakes, she might have laughed at him already. "Your girlfriend's a really lovely, gorgeous, beautiful lady. It's just--" He paused, swallowed hard and closed his eyes, because he could feel a fit of word vomit fast coming out. "It's just that the cupcakes really look like clowns and I know that you didn't mean it to be that way, but they really do look like clowns, it's rather hilarious."

Naomi was quiet for a moment, jaw slacked down.

"Oh bugger." JJ blurted out, his hand rising up to cover his mouth. "Fucking new pills! Shit, shit, shit!"

"JJ."

"I'm terribly sorry, I have this new prescription that has certain side effects and I can't control them, so I end up saying things I never want to say, or to think at the least. I'm--"

Naomi lifted her hand and placed it firmly on JJ's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze, although it was tighter than what she had meant it to be. "Chill out. Breathe yeah? I'm not going to kill you, even though I want to."

JJ froze immediately, his mouth opening and closing like that of a fish's, and he watched as Naomi turned around with a wide, devilish grin.

It worked though, since he stopped talking completely.

***

Another hour later, they were moving stuff out to the garden, and she was already beginning to lose her nerves.

She accidentally snapped at JJ (who was busily re-positioning a round table which she had rented in a rush, religiously checking its alignment along with the metal chairs that came with it) because her arms were growing tired of carrying the candelabra and the candles while she watched him work from a short distance, wondering what was taking him so long to set up a fucking table and two chairs. "Jesus JJ! Would you like me to hand you some pen and paper and a meter stick?"

JJ quickly turned around; rubbed his palms along his denim trousers. "I'm a bit of a perfectionist." He mumbled sheepishly before taking the ornaments from Naomi's hands, placing it on top of the table. "Sorry."

Naomi rolled her eyes and stormed back to the kitchen, leaving JJ outside scratching his head.

***

"Are you nervous?" JJ asked when everything was all set, and they were comfortably sitting around the dining table while waiting for Emily and Katie to arrive, well, just him sitting comfortably actually, because Naomi kept on fidgeting in her own seat.

She snorted smugly; rolled her eyes before heaving a deep sigh, which pretty much made JJ settle on the idea of her never being nervous at all, well, not until she actually answered, in a hissing manner to be exact. "I am, obviously."

"Well," JJ paused, nodding, "it's normal, I think, to get a little nervous when you're about to tell the person you love that you love her and--"

The rest of JJ's words were suddenly drowned and blocked out, growing fainter and fainter as her eyes caught sight of the bottle of vodka lying by the bar counter, and the urge to take a sip was so strong that she almost made a run for it, if not for her notion of wanting to do _this_ with all sobriety, since this time she was fucking serious about everything.

A few minutes of staring and she was losing it.

"Ah, fuck it!"

JJ jumped in utter surprise when Naomi pushed her chair instantaneously, the metal feet scraping against the kitchen floor as she sprang up to her feet, making her way towards the counter as quickly as she could, but JJ stopped her along the way, grabbing her by the wrist. "Naomi, don't." He tried to warn, shaking his head in the process.

Naomi, in turn, just shoot him a sharp glare. "I'm not going to get myself drunk."

"But--"

"Seriously JJ, do you honestly think I'm gonna fuck this up by getting drunk?"

JJ begrudgingly relinquished his hold, albeit the strong objection, since he couldn't really do anything about it anyways.

***

One sip, as Naomi had promised to JJ became two, and two turned three.

Finally, when she had managed to sit back and lift some pressure off her shoulders (most probably, the vodka shots starting to kick in), JJ suggested that she should somehow rehearse what she would want to say. "It helps a lot because it will at least set your train of thoughts flowing."

"What?" Naomi blurted out in disbelief. "Rehearse?"

JJ nodded his head and snatched the bottle from her hands even before she could make a protest. "And you definitely don't need this. I'm gonna put this away."

"Are you kidding me?"

She made a weird sound that was meant to be an objection, when JJ shook his head rather sternly, but released her grip on the bottle anyways seeing the firm determination on JJ's face. "Fine. But there's no way I'm going to recite any lines."

"Why not?"

Naomi's forehead folded into deep creases, a perfectly sculpted brow arching up. "It's not like I'm going to deliver a fucking speech in front of a whole bunch of people JJ. It's just Emily."

"If it's just Emily, why can't you tell me then?" JJ asked, tone a little bit goading, the corner of his lips curling up to the side, leading to a smirk. "Why can't you tell me what you'd want to say?"

Naomi opened her mouth to voice out another retort, but ceased it in the end, slouching down on her seat in defeat. "Alright, fine. It's a bit hard for me okay?"

"What is?"

"Admitting things." Naomi shrugged lightly; raised her hand to pick on a leaf protruding from the vase full of fresh flowers, which was placed at the center of the table (apparently, Emily had developed a certain habit of fixing up a bunch weekly). "Especially when I know for a fact that I've fucked up a lot of times and this could be my last chance to make things right."

JJ remained in silence for a few beats, watching Naomi's fidgety movements intently, and he exhaled a breath of relief since he could tell that Naomi was serious about everything this time, erasing the last remnants of doubt in his mind. "Look." He spoke afterwards, offering a comforting smile. "It's not that hard okay? Just tell her what you feel."

"That's exactly the hard part JJ." Naomi replied, tone heavy. "I don't normally tell people about what I feel. I hardly open up."

"But you did open up to Emily right?"

She heaved a deep sigh. "Well, yeah, a few times."

"Which would probably make things easier since you've done it before." JJ murmured consolingly, his hand hovering above Naomi's because he wasn't really sure how Naomi would react if he tried putting his hand on top of hers, in a comforting way, since he sort of had an idea that Naomi wasn't particularly a _touchy feely_ type of person. "Just tell her what you really feel, alright?"

Naomi took one last deep breath, more like encouraging herself, and bobbed her head in answer with closed eyes.

"I'll make you a cup of tea to help you calm down. Mum says I make the best tea in the world and Emily agrees with her."

JJ's smile was so nice and heartwarming that for a moment, Naomi could see how he and Emily became the best of friends in the first place.

***

She lost her nerves altogether when she heard the front door creaking open.

She heard JJ's soft 'good luck' as she made her way out to the garden, straight to the candle lit table for two she and JJ had arranged, her clammy hands clasped together to somehow help calm herself down while taking deep breaths to get her breathing even. She rolled her neck from side to side, shook her shoulders in the process along with all her limbs just to get rid of that nervous, fretted feeling, the pressure earlier eased by the vodka now back on her shoulders once more, heavier if it was even possible.

When she glanced up, she thanked the heavens for giving them a starry sky that night; whistled for Nemo when she heard hushed voices coming from the hallway near the kitchen, and she stooped down to tie a collar around him with 'Nemo' engraved in its pendant (something she had ordered in a rush, _again_), instructing him to not wander far from her with the best way that she could.

When Katie and Emily emerged from the threshold, her heart ceased beating on the spot. "Hey." She called out breathlessly, a shaky laugh coming alongside it, and she spread her arms wide, gesturing at the whole setting. "So yeah, uhm," She started to stammer, the words she had managed to sew together earlier now disappearing in an alarming state, and she was left with _uhms_ and _yeahs_ and other gibberish sounds that meant totally nothing, while scratching the back of her head and neck with her hand. "I, uhm--"

One brief glance and the look on Emily's face stopped her completely from trying to form at least one coherent sentence, because Emily's expression was equally torn between surprise and something she could only compare to pain, looking so bewildered with something she really had no idea about. And when she shifted her gaze, Katie's glare was so sharp and unnerving that she nearly took a step back.

It was JJ's shocked expression that made her realize that something had gone wrong.

"Em?" She called out carefully, taking tentative steps towards the twins' direction, because the look on Katie's face terrified her somehow, as if she was ready to bite and pounce on anybody who drew near. "Is something wrong?" She tilted her head, stretching out her hand to cup Emily's cheek but pulled it back quickly once she eyed Emily's clenched fists. "What happened?"

Katie snorted disbelief. "You're asking?" She spat out in disgust, retrieving a newspaper from the paper bag she was holding, and shoved it forcefully into Naomi's chest that Naomi stumbled a little, but both of Emily and Katie's faces remained stern. "I can't fucking believe you."

"I don't know what you're talking about Katie." Naomi shook her head helplessly, wondering when and where things had gone wrong that day, because as far as she knew, everything was flowing smoothly until then. She chanced a glance to JJ for help, but he was just as bewildered as she was.

Katie was on the verge of charging, her foot already moving forward but an outstretched hand stopped her altogether, keeping her standing on the same spot. "Katie, don't."

"But Ems--"

Emily shuffled, standing in front of her. "I'll deal with this."

"Emily?" Naomi called out hesitatingly. "What's wrong?"

Emily turned her head around, eyes almost squinting. "Read the fucking paper Naomi." She spoke through gritted teeth, and it made Naomi flinch for some reason, the way Emily had said her name that was, with a tone so heavy and so grave that it sunk somewhere in the pit of her stomach, causing a quite nauseating feeling to rise up, and she had to swallow hard just to push it back.

"Why?" Naomi asked, with a certain shakiness in her voice that was far too noticeable.

"Just read it."

She was still as confused as ever but followed Emily anyways, opening the morning paper that was folded in half as carefully as she could.

When the front page greeted her, her hands began to shake uncontrollably.

The headline was screaming at her in fucking black, bold letters, and she nearly dropped the paper or probably threw it somewhere, suddenly feeling like she wanted to swoon over or even pass out, the colors in her face running out in a matter of seconds, turning her into a paler shade, paler than ever while her lips quivered badly.

Up and printed in the front page was a picture of her and Effy taken the previous night in the exact same place they stayed at, kissing, of all fucking things.

"Jesus Christ."


	45. Consequences

**Title: **Love Accidentally - Chapter 44

**Author: **kreia03

**Rating: **M

**Warnings: **Swear words.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing and I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary: **_It should have been the perfect time, Naomi knew, for her to tell Emily what she really felt, yet for some reason she could not really point out, her throat was closing up on everything, her heart lodging itself that it blocked all things she was trying to spill out, even breathing._

**A/N:** Heap loads of thanks to my beta Nat, (Naomilyox) for helping me throughout and constantly giving me ideas, and for editing this as well. She's pure awesome. And to TDTC for the late night convos (late in my time, haha.) As well as to all those who had stuck with this fic all throughout, thanks so much for the comments, they equal to love in my books. :)

It was all significantly planned out in her head, the words carefully mapped in ways that she thought was best, yet, with one unexpected turn of events, all had been left undone.

She was still staring at the newspaper with wide, bulging eyes while it shook frantically in her hands, skimming and skipping through the hundreds of words written in that particular column at the same time until they all blended into something incomprehensible, the spaces between the letters growing wider and wider as she gazed longer; just stared at the picture in a way like she wanted it to burst into flames under her intense gaze, or magically disappear, just because _it_ couldn't happen, shouldn't happen, not now. "Emily." Her head snapped up as she tried to call out amidst her suddenly drying throat and hoarse, shaky voice. "This isn't what you think."

"Then tell me what it is." Emily hissed sharply, biting.

"Em, it isn't I swear." Naomi glanced down at the paper again, the picture growing gallingly larger, as if it was mocking her in some way, gallingly not only because it was printed on the front page, of all fucking places, but rather more of worry concerning the meanings she knew Emily would take from it, the same ones she knew that bore no absolute truth in them. Panicking, the sweat on her palms reminded her, despite her mind's--no, her _heart's_ constant protests, that she was going to lose this game, this battle before it had even began. And she had to hastily close her eyes, to try and think of a way to explain things without making matters worse, to save whatever she could once and for all. Sadly, she came up with nothing but a plea, because, really, what could she tell Emily? The '_I kissed Effy for old time's sake'_ of an excuse she came up with seemed to be flying out of the closest window the more she thought about it, since starting the counter attack by mentioning _her_ name just wasn't going to cut it if she wanted to win. It seemed to be the more destructive path compared to what she could be taking, even if it indeed was the real reason, but then again, what other path was left for her to take?

"Please believe me." Somewhere along those lines, she heard a sound bespeaking Katie's utter disapproval, yet this wasn't about Emily's mirror image or anybody else, this was between her and Emily. In a vigorous attempt to form a coherent thought, she tried to block the world out, but the world had just rapidly changed in meaning, drastically as well, and she realized that this was aboutthe world,_her___world, that was now stood glaring right in front of her, with magnificent conviction which she knew she inspired. "I swear it's nothing."

"I said tell me what it is about!" Emily snapped, her voice rising up a notch that it took Naomi by surprise, even Katie and JJ who didn't expect such a sudden outburst, flinching as the shrill sound reverberated through the whole yard. She watched Naomi intently with heavy breaths, until she squirmed and fidgeted under her gaze, and Naomi's silence was all that she needed to somehow confirm everything she had been worrying about the past days. "I figured." Emily swallowed hard; screwed her eyes shut as the ripping feeling in her heart began, slowly turning into a frenzy, faster and faster, deeper and deeper, leaving marks and scratches everywhere in such a way that it seemed as if it was clawing her heart out. And it was enough to send her to tears, no matter how much she tried to fight it, despite the many times she had reminded herself not to cry, even if worse comes to worst, because she was that fucking in love with Naomi that it could _not_ be helped anymore, tearing her apart completely.

She turned around on her heels and stormed inside the house, the relentless streaming tears blinding her for a moment that she felt a sudden need to slow down, yet, her shallow breaths were increasing in an alarming rate. Somehow, it got her into thinking that she'd pass out at the foot of the staircase and she had to hold onto something just to keep herself up, amidst the nauseating feeling and the dizziness caused by her uneven breathing and something else tugging, while her heart felt like it was being squeezed tight at the same time, up to a point that it seemed like it would just voluntarily stop and give up its beating.

Though, some part of her wished for the beating to _actually_ stop, wished the fast _thud thuds_ to trickle down until there was almost nothing.

She heard the loud slam of the back door, the familiar set of footsteps echoing in the now lighted hallway, fast yet heavy, and she knew she should be moving into some other part of the house as it drew closer, but she was frozen at where she was currently standing, barely even capable of keeping herself upright and holding it together. It was a struggle, and when the footsteps eventually died down, she watched a little bit helplessly as Naomi settled in front of her, a fair distance away.

"Emily." Naomi called out hesitantly, almost breathless, the pleading in her voice far too noticeable. "Listen to me yeah? I need you to believe me."

"I always did." The stern expression in Emily's face was back up, even before Naomi could finish. "But you've given me more than enough reasons not to anymore."

Naomi ran both her palms along the whole length of her face, scrunching it in the process. "Em, don't say that. Please." She had never said 'please' more than once in her entire life, or even begged someone that bad, yet in this case, she was more than willing to plead as much as it was needed to, just so she could get Emily to believe her and trust her again. She took a tentative step forwards, a hand reaching out uncertainly when Emily didn't give out any form of response, fingers encircling around Emily's wrist, and when she still didn't move, Naomi took the risk of bringing herself closer by another step. "Em--"

"Don't touch me." It was soft yet heavy, the firmness in it far too undeniable that it felt like a solid slap in some way, the sting of it all the same. "Let me go." But it wasn't enough to make Naomi oblige, _to let Emily go_, in all of its sense, and her grip on her tightened instead, just because the mere idea of _it_ scared her the most, up to a point that she herself was terrified of the strength of her own fear.

"No." Naomi replied with the same amount of resolve. "Not until you listen to me."

"I said let me go." Emily wriggled her hand away from Naomi's grip; took a few steps back to keep her at bay, because the closer she was to her, the more it hurt her, the proximity itself bringing a rush of pain with it.

"Will you at least let me explain?"

"I'm tired Naomi. I'm sick and tired of all the explanations, of all the fucking excuses." Emily shook her head; blinked the tears away in the process, but there were just too much that they ended up falling relentlessly along her cheeks. "I don't want to hear them anymore. I can't, it's hurting me too much." Her voice broke down even before she was done, the words so fucking true that each one scarred her as she uttered them out.

"No." Naomi's eyes softened, a hand tentatively reaching out for the second time. "Emily, don't say that."

Emily took a few more steps back, suddenly looking all lost and weak. "I can't take anything anymore Naomi." She folded her arms; hugged herself tight in search for some kind of comfort while she fought through her soft sobs to speak. "I can't."

It should have been the perfect time, Naomi knew, for her to tell Emily what she really felt, yet for some reason she could not really point out, her throat was closing up on everything, her heart lodging itself that it blocked all things she was trying to spill out, even breathing.

"Let's stop this now." She heard Emily say, though she almost failed to because the words came out so breathless, yet it was doing her head in nevertheless, in ways she could hardly even imagine. "Let's stop before it gets worse." She felt a sudden twinge when Emily spoke again (like Emily was drilling the thought into her head), creeping through her heart in the slowest, most torturing way she could ever feel, that it was almost so near to making her heart cease beating altogether; and the amount of pain somehow reminded her of why she should never let people in, in the first place, something she used to believe in for years, until Emily came and chipped her way inside. And it was so fucking ironic how the one person who had successfully brought her walls down was the same exact one who was now tearing her apart.

"What do you mean?" Naomi finally managed to ask, after a good while of not speaking, just merely catching breaths for the necessity of it. "Are you--" She swallowed hard and sucked a lungful so deep that it hurt when the cold air reached her lungs. "Are you breaking up with me?" She grimaced at how helpless the question came out, because even the words escaping her mouth were pretty much evidences of how desperate she was for everything not to end, particularly _this_, the one thing she never thought she would ever want.

It was when Emily nodded in answer that her world started spinning endlessly, and everything seemed to be slipping from her hands, no matter how tight she held onto them, slipping like fucking sand through the spaces in between her fingers, so fast that she barely caught any remnant of it, just a grain or two, and even those few seemed to be slipping away as well. "You're joking right?" She laughed nervously, and it took her all the effort she could muster to let out that particular laugh, an odd source of assurance to somehow tell herself that everything was going to be alright. "Come on Em, stop kidding yeah?"

Emily tipped her head up; savored the sound of Naomi's shaky laugh because this might be the last time she'd be able to hear it. "Naomi--"

"No." Naomi shook her head firmly, breaking Emily off before she could even utter another word, because for some reason, it genuinely felt like Emily's every word was driving a nail to their relationship. "No. I'm not letting you break up with me."

"We're just going to keep on hurting each other." Emily brought her head down and sniffled, running a finger under her nose. "We can't be together anymore."

Naomi ran her fingers through her hair, fisting a handful in the process out of frustration and every other feeling she was far too confused to even acknowledge, too lost, yet it still all seemed so wrong, and she felt like she was on the verge of losing it, of losing Emily. "No Em." Her lips parted and they started to quiver uncontrollably. "No, just no. Don't do this to me, please."

"I never wanted to, but it's for the best."

"You can't leave me." She whispered helplessly, sinking a little bit into her knees because everything was happening too fast, and it was wearing her out in some way, this battle she was struggling to win that was. "You promised me you won't."

Emily rubbed her hands down the whole length of both her arms, seeking temporary comfort from the heat that was seeping through her palms, even if that alone wasn't enough because at her current state, she'd take anything than none at all.

"You said you love me Em. Why are you saying this now?" Naomi continued at once, when Emily seemed to be determined not to speak. "Is this what your love's like then? Ending things so easily?"

"It must have been just this much." Emily slowly turned her head, leveling her firm gaze at Naomi while she answered with enough conviction that she could gather. "No matter how much I love you, this is all I could put up with."

Emily's answer left Naomi stunned, disarming her completely for a long moment because it wasn't what she was expecting to hear, and in that short span of time, she was back to cursing everything else that had brought her to this state, to a breaking heart. "Why are you giving up on us all of a sudden? Why are you being like this?"

"Because I'm done with dreaming Naomi." Emily replied sternly through gritted teeth, the corners of her jaw turning rock solid as they clenched tight. "I'm tired of hoping that _us_ will ever work."

Naomi pressed a fist to her lips, biting it hard but not enough to break the skin; sighed deep. "You don't mean that." She shook her head exceedingly as her eyes slowly filled with tears clouding her vision altogether, and it was taking a series of long swallows just to not let them fall.

"I'm taking you out of my life."

It was all that it took for everything to fall apart, all that Naomi had managed to build collapsing right in front of her very eyes, like a house of cards carelessly blown by the wind, falling alongside with her tears, and it was only then that she realized that her whole world was crumbling down with everything else remaining.

***

In Katie's eyes, it was all wrong.

_They were fucking meant to be together, like, for forever_, was what she thought while watching everything unfold right before her, so fucking meant to be that it was nauseating at some point, how lovesick both Naomi and Emily looked like (or at least they used to, both of them not having any idea that they _did _look like it, because now, they both seemed so devastated with what was happening, which still was a sign of how helplessly in love they were with each other, even so), nauseating yet inspiring and jealous worthy nevertheless; and she was so close to slapping them both hard in their faces, tell them to just work it out, and like, fucking kiss and make-up because this was all a waste of time.

(She had never seen them both in such state, and it was so gut wrenching for some reason, the sight of them that was, and she felt like she was watching something that was supposed to be seen _only_ on tv, never in real life.)

But when she heard Emily's voice breaking, and saw the tears in Naomi's eyes threatening to fall, it dawned on her how heavy the situation was and how destructive it could be, by the way Emily was crying her heart out and how Naomi was almost down to her knees begging her twin not to break-up with her.

It took her by surprise as well, when Emily talked about ending things with Naomi, something she didn't see coming, because, well, it never crossed her mind that it would be this big, and they were, like, the sort of unbreakable, ideal couple, or at least to her, regardless of how they could be too daft and ridiculous sometimes, hiding their feelings from each other even if it was just too obvious to even cover up. Some part of her couldn't help but feel guilty for starting all of this and probably flaming it as well, and she knew she would be feeling so much worse when things end in a sour note, yet, she couldn't bring herself to put an end to it and actually meddle, because it wasn't her business, firstly, and she was too surprised to move, with the way things were slowly turning out.

Though, it was a different case when Effy came running, bursting through the front door and the first thing that struck her was the unbearable pain present in Emily's face.

***

"Naomi."

It was faint and almost wheezing, yet loud enough to hear for the room had suddenly gone awfully quiet, save for heavy breaths and a few sobs escaping from Emily's lips.

Naomi slowly twisted around, and the shock only registered a moment after realizing who it was. "Effy?"

Effy leaned against the pushed open door, a hand resting above the handle. "I just saw the news, and I went here as soon as I could." She answered in between gasps, sucking air in as much as she could as an attempt to catch her breaths.

Naomi pressed her lips together; shifted her gaze, and it was the pained expression in Emily's face that her eyes caught a glimpse of first, unraveling her completely because Emily's stares were fucking accusatory and just anguished at the same time, and it fell heavy on her, lingering, the weight of the stares almost hurting like physical punches thrown in low blows, yet, still nothing compared to that twinge kicking her hard in the chest. "Emily--"

Emily raised a hand, palm open, and it was telling Naomi to stop, whatever she was going to say not mattering anymore, because she was just too tired of this, too tired of waiting for something she knew would never come. "Don't. Just don't." She shook her head; gripped her shoulders unconsciously, her nails digging deep against her exposed skin, and it was supposed to hurt, she was supposed to feel the skin breaking open with the way she was almost clawing it, yet she felt nothing, the throbbing pain in her chest still strongly discernible that it was almost the only thing she could actually feel.

Naomi took another step forwards, and she was halfway taking another when Katie stopped her, rushing in quickly, a hand held up while the other rested on Naomi's elbow. "Not now Naomi." Katie whispered sharply as her gaze warily flickered between her twin and Naomi, sometimes throwing sharp glares towards Effy's general direction if the situation permitted her to do so. She watched as Naomi slowly turned her head, eyeing her with a confused yet painful look, and she felt her heart breaking for her and her sister again the second time that day, because theirs was a kind of relationship that didn't deserve this kind of fucked up situation, well, at least for her. "Emily's not going to listen to you yeah? She's too stubborn to listen to anybody right now." She tore her gaze away, letting it fall at Effy's slightly shocked but mostly baffled face, throwing a somewhat disgusted look as she mouthed, "Especially with _her_ around."

Naomi watched as Emily shifted her weight to another leg, her head still hanging low, before turning her back completely from all of them as Emily trod up the stairs with heavy steps, the loud clanks of her heels filling the whole living room momentarily; and she felt her shoulders slump out of defeat, because it wasn't meant to end this way, not like this. "Katie I can't." She barely whispered, feeling Katie's grip tighten as she tried to shake away from it. "I don't want to--"

"Naomi." Katie called out warily. "You can't push it. It'll only make things worse."

Naomi broke free from Katie's firm grip; turned on her heels to face the older twin, and it was hurting her somehow, seeing Katie that was, because she was of such a close resemblance to Emily that the pain almost cut her the same way, despite the many things that made them distinguishable enough, it still hurt almost the same. "I can't Katie. I can't just--" She paused to shake her head, the bridge of her nose being pinched between her forefinger and her thumb, and she could feel her head spinning ridiculously fast, could feel like the walls were closing in on her as she found it harder to breathe by each passing second, because she knew where this was heading, where everything was heading and she only needed to hear a few words to make it official, to tell her that all indeed was _over_. "No." It was firm and defiant, yet it wasn't able to change anything, no matter how heavy the conviction was in it, because things remained yet the same, and it was hurting her more, the thought that she could have done something much, much earlier, that she wasted a huge amount of time over senseless things and the only thing that mattered, she took for fucking granted. "I--I made her cupcakes Katie, the ones that look like her, you know." She exhaled a tired, weary breath, and nearly leaned towards Katie for support, because she was sucked up dry of all the energy she used to have earlier, every ounce of it spent down the drain. It honestly felt like she was trying to hold on to a thin thread while dangling on a cliff, trying desperately to heave herself up and go back to safety. "They're not perfect but--but I did my best. And, and--"

"Naomi." Katie tried to cut her off, extending a hand to rub affectionately against Naomi's arms.

"And I changed Zeus' name to Nemo, even got him a collar with his name written in it." Naomi prattled on; pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead a moment after. She could feel an imminent headache fast approaching, but it was nothing like the ones she used to have before, this one being entirely different. "Christ, why did I have to be so fucking stupid."

Katie's eyes softened at the sight, because she had never seen Naomi look this way, so fucking lost and just--just broken, vulnerable. She had always regarded Naomi as the high and mighty one, never fazed by anything thrown her way, never going to bend to somebody else's will, and if it wasn't fucking heartbreaking, Katie didn't know what else to call it. "God Naomi, it's not like, everything's your fault yeah?" It came out with no venom at all, when normally, all her retorts had a trace of harshness in them, but maybe it was for the best, because she didn't want to be the one who would be pushing Naomi to the edge. "Whatever but, we all have a fair share of mistakes."

Naomi's fingers balled into a fist, still pressed tightly against her forehead, and her front teeth were sinking deep against her bottom lip, so near to breaking through the thin skin. "I--It's" She whispered haltingly, cutting herself off altogether, because, really, what was the point? Katie wasn't Emily, and though Katie might accept her explanation and tell her words of comfort, it wasn't what she needed, what she wanted to hear. "Christ."

She turned around without any other word muttered to Katie, walking as fast as she could past Effy, out to the door and straight to her car, (she didn't even acknowledge Effy's presence, and it actually slipped off her mind, that she was there, if truth be told), headed off to nowhere in particular. She just needed to get out of this place, because it seemed like the most logical thing to do at the moment, not running away from the situation but just merely sorting her head out.

Effy stopped her midway, scurrying down the front steps to catch up with her giant strides. "Nai." Effy called out loudly, grabbing her by the wrist and quickly turning her around. "Where are you going?"

Naomi tipped her head up, willing the silent tears streaming down to fall back up to her already aching eyes, if it was just possible. The sky above her turned into a huge blur, the stars' glow growing faint as more tears clouded up her eyes.

"Naomi." Effy called out again, firmer and more forceful this time, as if she was worried that Naomi might do something rather stupid, because, honestly, she had no idea what was going on inside Naomi's head. Despite the years of friendship, this was one side of Naomi she had never seen, didn't even knew it existed; or maybe it was there all along, she was just that fucking blind to see it. "I'm, I--"

Naomi brought her head down; wiped the tears away as fast as she could, though Effy had already seen them, so it was no use. She didn't speak but waited for Effy instead.

"I swear it wasn't me Nai." Effy started, taking another step towards Naomi hesitatingly, and when Naomi didn't move, she lifted her free foot and planted it beside the other. "I don't know how there's a video and the pictures--" Naomi's face stayed blank, still looking so lost and the least Effy could do was to apologize. "I'm sorry." She whispered helplessly. "If I had known, I would have not done such a thing Nai. I wish I could take everything back."

"If only things were just that simple." Naomi murmured in answer, and it was all that Effy would get, because she was far too much hurt right now that she couldn't think of anything but the dull, thudding pain inhabiting her chest, and she was so fucking scared that it would reside permanently in there, living in between the open wounds left scarred in her heart.

It was when she reached the comfort of her car did she let the tears fall, letting her forehead press up against the steering wheel, and she sunk wearily to her seat because she could almost hear Emily saying _it's over _at the back of her mind, the mere thought just as daunting as the real thing.

***

She found the momentary solace that she was desperately seeking for at her Mum's house, after countless hours of pointless driving around the whole of Bristol.

Nursing the cup of tea which her Mum had made, in between her hands, she heaved a deep breath, closed her eyes as she took comfort from the heat seeping through the ceramic cup and straight to her clammy palms. Her eyes were fixed at the cup, particularly at the wisp of smoke rising from it; stared at it blankly until it vanished into thin air altogether.

"Love." Gina called out all too lovingly, putting a hand on top of Naomi's arm, the nearest she could reach; and the gesture somehow elicited some sort of twinge that crept through Naomi's chest, something torn between anger and just plain wishful thinking because she never wanted sympathy, never wanted people to take pity on her (although she knew that her mother didn't mean any harm; was just trying to help, and that alone stopped her from shaking her Mum's hand away), and it hurt because the one person she wanted to hold her might never ever hold her again. "Naomi--"

"Did you see the news?" She asked in a flat tone.

"I did." Gina softly answered, kept her hand intact to where it previously laid. "But there are always two sides to the story, and it's show business. I want to hear your side first before I even conclude anything."

"It didn't mean anything Mum." Naomi closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed hard. "I--It's just some sort of goodbye that Effy asked for and I couldn't say no to her."

"You couldn't?"

Naomi shook her head lightly. "I don't know why."

"Does Emily know about this?" Gina scooted nearer, dragging her chair with her, its feet making light scraping noises as it made contact with the floor. "That it didn't mean anything?"

"I tried telling her, but she wouldn't listen." Naomi blinked twice, licked her lips, and it was silence that followed next, save for the deep heavy breaths mostly coming from her, until, "I never got the chance to tell her Mum." She sighed wearily, and her voice broke just in time as the thin wisp of smoke she was watching disappeared into the air. "I never got to tell her that--that--" Another long swallow, just to push aside the tears threatening to fall. "I never got to tell her how much I love her."

Gina didn't find the need to ask any sort of question and just allowed her daughter to prattle on, even if it pained her somehow to see her in such a state.

"No, wait." Naomi let out a nervous laugh; ran her fingers through her hair. "I had all the chances in the world, I just never took them."

Gina stayed in silence, but the affectionate embrace and the kiss planted on Naomi's temple pretty much told her that her Mum understood, like she always did, and there were no need for words.

"I love her so much."

When the tears fell, thick and heavy, she finally felt free of the control the girl once had, free, yet full of complete adoration for the girl she had driven away from.

***

When she walked up to her old room, the first thing that ever crossed her mind was that the last time she slept there, she was sharing her bed with Emily; and somewhere along the thought, the jolt of pain began to kick in again, the pang hitting her squarely in the chest that she found herself sinking weakly in the mattress in no time.

She wanted to hate how everything seemed to be associated with Emily now, and every single thing she would see would be some sort of reminder, like the color red for an instance, which was the color of her sheets and her fucking car, and she couldn't help the strong grip of her suddenly curling fingers, the fistful of covers crumpling inside, just because.

The idea had never occurred to her before, how Emily was taking over her world little by little, and how she was more than willing to welcome it with open arms; never had, just now, when everything seemed to be too late.

***

"I--I should probably go home."

Katie tore her gaze away from the direction where Naomi had just gone, turning her head towards where the voice had came from, and she was a little bit surprised to see JJ standing in one corner, because she had totally forgotten about him ever since the big confrontation had broken out. "Yeah, well." She paused and propped a hand on her hip for support, feeling a little bit tired from standing longer than she was advised to. "Okay."

JJ nodded in answer, grabbing his rucksack from somewhere. He slung it around his shoulder and was on his way out when a certain memory flicked inside his mind which made him glide into a stop, turning once again as fast as he could that it startled Katie a tad bit. "Could you give the cupcakes to Emily, Katie?"

"What?" Katie shifted her weight on the other leg; propped the other hand against her hip. "Cupcakes?"

"Naomi did make cupcakes." JJ answered with a resigned sigh, peering from under his lids, because he really didn't know if he still should bring the subject up, yet it was the only way he knew he could at least help. There was too much pain looming around, and it was all too much for him to bear. He wanted to ease it somehow. "For Emily I mean."

Katie didn't need to ask why, because, well, she had already figured the reason out; and _it _added to the guilt she was carrying in some way, knowing that she might have ruined one of the most important moments in both Naomi and Emily's life. "Where are they?"

"They're in the fridge."

"Thanks."

JJ smiled back in return and left Katie with a small wave as he bid her goodbye, his steps slow and heavy, the sounds echoing through the now hollowed halls.

***

It was a struggle to take the first step inside the room, _their_ room, yet, Emily figured, there could be nothing more that would hurt her to lose.

She found herself curling by the bed, like a little ball under the covers, and she was wondering at the same time, amidst the soft sobs and the tears, how it was even possible to be hurt by somebody so much, yet, the feeling would stay the same; would stay as strong as it had been like the first time she'd ever felt it.

It was ironic as well, how she opted to stay at that certain place, even if it was causing her a lot of pain by merely being in there, just to be able to hold onto the memories that came flooding in, because it was the only source of comfort she could turn to at the same time, as odd as it would seem.

It was the closest she could ever get to a dream she once thought she was so near to reaching, like a star that she could almost feel in her fingertips because she was so close to it, blinded by its light and glow that she had forgotten entirely that stars were never reachable in the first place.


	46. The Morning After

**Title:**Love Accidentally - Chapter 45

**Author:**dropletsofjupiter

**Rating:**M

**Warnings:**Swear words.

**Disclaimer:**S4 is over but still, I don't own anything. I hate that fact. Seriously.

**Summary:**_"__It was the morning after that made last night's events so much worse, and just—real."_

**A/N:** Okay, so first of all, I want to apologize for taking so long to update. I sort of kinda took a hiatus from writing. A lot of things came up and I thought that it would be good if I take a break. Sorry guys. .

I hope you all like this one. I kind of had a hard time getting this out, but I guess it's normal since it had been long months before I wrote something again. I promise, the next ones are gonna be better! Go easy on me, please? Thanks! :3 For all those who stuck around with LA, my highest gratitude to all of you. Thank you so much.

* * *

It was the morning after that made last night's events so much worse.

Naomi didn't need to tune in to the news, or read the morning paper to figure out that she was the talk of the town, of the whole of England and back; and she was supposed to have gotten so used to it. She had been through so much before, and somehow, she had found a way to ignore every little thing that came out about her; had learned to not give a fuck to what people had to say.

But what happened last night was a different thing altogether; entirely fucking different, and _this_ was something she just could not pay no heed to.

She barely got any sleep at all despite the tired, sore feeling coursing through her veins. She wondered if it was the uncomfortable silence that made it difficult for her to sleep, let alone, close her eyes; or if it were the thoughts running inside her head, swirling unreservedly, brought about by the thick, heavy silence that had fallen over ever since she entered the room. _Her_ old room. There was a stark contrast that she couldn't help but find ironic. The room which used to make her feel safe for countless of years was now a place she would rather not spend any more second with. Because the silence was just—it was driving her insane.

She shuffled on the bed, right in time when a ray of sunlight escaped through the curtains, and dropped her weight wearily against the headboard, where her back landed with an almost inaudible thud. She tipped her head up and let it rest on the wall, blatantly ignoring the perpetual vibrating of her phone from somewhere not really far (probably over her nightstand or wherever exactly she had chucked it). She couldn't bring herself to pick it up or even bother to check, because well, what was the point? She was almost entirely sure it wasn't Emily, whoever was calling.

A series of soft knocks followed not long after, once the constant vibrating had ceased, much to her delight. Her mum's voice echoed around her room, sounding a little bit off key as it passed through the bulky, wooden door. "Naomi, love." Gina called out. "Are you awake?"

An unintelligible sound escaped from her throat, which came as close to a 'yes' anyway.

Her door squeaked open, revealing a cautious yet smiling Gina with a tray of tea and toasts juggled in between her hands. "Thomas called." She started, then, walked small, deliberate steps towards Naomi's bed; eyed Naomi all too warily, like she was a ticking time bomb about to explode at any given minute. "He said he's been trying to reach you since last night."

Naomi, on the other hand, couldn't really blame her mum to be that cautious. They never shared as much conversation as what they had the night before as far as she could remember; couldn't really think of a particular time when they had that kind of talk, or _if_ they ever did. "I figured." She answered with a strained sigh, and watched Gina turn around and place down the tray on the empty space over her study table.

"He wanted me to tell you that he needs to talk to you as soon as possible." Gina continued and took her place back at the foot of Naomi's bed, a hand resting on top of the short pole. "I think it's pretty urgent love."

"It must be." Naomi muttered flatly. At this point in time, she couldn't really be bothered with anything. Any fucking thing at all.

Gina pressed her lips in a tight line, her fingers drumming against the round part of the bed pole as she watched her daughter fidget with the hem of the duvet for a few more beats. Somehow, she had a strong inkling that Naomi was going to pop a question that was just rather heartbreaking, even if either left unanswered or not.

"Did anybody else call?" Naomi asked, her eyes falling everywhere except her mother, and with a tone torn between hopeful and just—plain pained that Gina could feel her own heart breaking for her daughter. Because amidst everything that was going on, at some point, it crossed Naomi's mind that this was all just a dream, for most part had happened during strange times of the day—when nothing seemed to be real; like some sort of strange time vacuum in between the wee hours of dawn and the coming morning. A part of her wanted to believe that last night had gone her way; that things had gone the way she expected them to. At some point, a part of her wanted to believe that last night ended differently—happily.

Gina's face fell, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words. "Naomi, dear—" She stuttered, in between attempts of getting the words out without them sounding as bad as they already were. "I mean—"

"It's fine Mum." Naomi broke off with a forced, shaky laugh. "I just—well, I just asked." She brought her head down once more, her nimble fingers back to fiddling with the hem of the duvet. "I was just wondering if, you know, Panda or—" There was a hard pause, followed by a long, deep swallow; because even saying _her_ twin's name was just as equally hard as saying _hers_, surprisingly. "K—Katie has called."

All Gina could do was watch helplessly from where she was standing, as Naomi struggled to try and keep herself together, keep the pieces of herself from completely falling apart. "Well—" She started to say, then, "I'll tell you as soon as anybody else calls. Alright?"

A ghost of a smile crossed Naomi's lips, but was already gone before Gina could even fully take notice. "Thanks Mum." Naomi murmured softly. "And for the breakfast too."

"It's no problem dear." Gina replied affectionately. "If you need anything else, I'll be downstairs, yes?"

Naomi came up with a feeble nod for an answer. "Yeah. Thanks."

Gina hesitated for a few more seconds before turning around completely, and headed towards the door; deciding that it was best not to pry, best to leave Naomi to herself at least for the meantime.

Naomi was half thankful and half worried for it, because it would mean that she'd be left alone again, left with the heavy silence and the niggling thoughts she had been trying to overcome ever since she came up to her room _that_ night.

It was the morning after that made last night's events so much worse, and just—_real_.

* * *

Katie woke up with a throat nearly dried up, and a mouthful of bright red hair.

It didn't take her long to realize that she had spooned Emily from behind. And as she tried to shake the remnants of sleep away, it slowly came to her that she didn't have the faintest idea of how she even got to the bed. Last night was almost a vague memory for her. What happened after all the shouting and the crying weren't as clear to her as they were before the moment she had finally succumbed to sleep. Though, she remembered watching over Emily for God knows how long; remembered watching Emily lay so awfully still, that she felt a sudden need to shake her or at least touch her, just so she could see to it that her twin was still _there_, still breathing.

Upon remembering, alongside the terrified feeling that suddenly crept up quickly on her chest, Katie couldn't help but tighten her grip around Emily's waist; her breath held in closely until she felt Emily give her fingers a gentle squeeze. "Ems—" She whispered, but stopped midway, because really, what was she supposed to say? There was no sense of asking Emily if she was alright, well at least for her, because the answer was rather quite obvious.

"Yeah?" Came Emily's hoarse response, her voice almost gone. She slowly turned around when it dawned on her that Katie wasn't going to say anything else.

The circles under Emily's eyes were dark and quite puffy, Katie could clearly see, and she honestly couldn't tell if it was because of Emily's lack of sleep or too much crying, or probably a mixture of both. "Come here." She murmured softly, letting Emily's head settle comfortably at the crook of her neck as she reached for her, because the look that crossed Emily's face, _that_ look that Emily just gave her just about told her that Emily was about to cry again. She didn't try to shush her when she _did_ start crying, but rather, held her as tight and as close as she could.

"I don't know why she did that." Emily's fingers balled into tight fists, crumpling the back of Katie's top into an absolute mess. "I don't know why." She could feel Katie's fingers running through her hair, Katie's other hand rubbing up and down the length of her back. It was comforting in some way but wasn't enough to calm her down, the gesture making her want to squeeze herself more to Katie's side, because Katie was the only one she felt she had left, and the thought of her twin falling out of her grasp was oddly terrifying.

"I don't—" Katie tried to say, but had to stop because Emily was breaking into another fit of muffled sobs, and now she was torn between letting Emily cry or shushing her down completely. She hadn't seen Emily shed tears this much even when they were kids, and as much as Katie did not want to admit, it was starting to scare her. She was scared of what could happen after; scared that Emily might never be able to come back from this. "Emily, hey." Katie could feel the tears pooling around the space on her neck, but it didn't make her grimace in disgust or anything like it would usually have. It made her pull Emily closer instead, if anymore possible, because this thing Emily was going through, she could feel it as well, for known and unknown reasons.

Katie had heard people say that there would always be an uncanny connection between twins, some sort of mystic link that tied both her and Emily together. Yet, this was one of those days that Katie wasn't thankful for _it_; one of those days that Katie wished she wasn't a twin, but not enough to make her regret being one, let alone, be Emily's.

* * *

There was a pile of neatly folded clothes, her clothes to be exact, lying next to the tray of cold tea and nearly soggy toasts her mum had brought up to her that morning; and it took her almost half of the day to notice.

On top of the pile was a small note, a fucking small piece of paper yet it made something drop at the pit of her stomach, heavy and unmoving; settled in there in the most unraveling way that it can, like the note had suddenly weighed tons just because scribbled in it was a string of letters with a _name_ that meant as much as her whole fucking life.

'Emily slept here :-)'

Underneath it was something written in a much smaller and finer print, but was growing gallingly larger in front of her eyes as she continued to read, like that of screaming bold letters on a newspaper headline.

'Hope this makes you smile.'

The remorse hit her again square in the chest, harder this time, harder than any other time it ever surfaced, over how things got so royally fucked up because she permitted them to be; conceived into thinking that what she was doing at _that_ time was right, when, if truth be told, it was the biggest mistake she had ever made.

The mattress barely sunk when she dropped herself to bed, the shirt that Emily wore clutched closely to her chest. She could see the edges of the note she left lying next to her pillow be ruffled by the gentle wind, and it was the last thing she remembered as her lids grew heavy, until, eventually drifting off to sleep.

Ruffled notes, neat scrawls, bright red hair—all wounding up in a flashing sequence that was remorseful yet comforting for the most part. Something she knew she'd still be thankful for by the time she would wake up.

* * *

Emily woke up to Zeus' attempts, switching alternately between barking and licking along the side of her face. The covers beneath her rustled as she shifted on the bed; and judging by the faint light breaking through the curtains as she looked around, she could tell that it was late in the afternoon, almost near evening. Zeus circled around on top of her until he found a comfortable spot, his paws tucked under his chin as he lay himself down. Her lips pulled into a lopsided smile as she watched him yawn widely while one of his paws reached forth and seemingly scratched his nose.

"I'm sorry about that."

Emily turned her gaze and saw Katie stood along the doorway, leaning against the doorframe. "I came to check up on you." Katie said matter-of-factly, and flicked the light switch on. "But then he came running, and, well, woke you up."

Emily winced as the bright light flooded the room in haste, her eyes taking a little bit longer to adjust and sort through the blur of colors that filled her vision. "'S'okay." She replied not long after, when the shades and the rays of light had seemingly stopped swirling in front of her. She smiled at Katie, though it came out a little bit strained, or at least that was what she thought. "I don't mind." She looked at Zeus and raised a finger; tapped the tip of his nose affectionately.

Katie found her place on the other side of the bed, and extended a hand to pat Zeus' head. She never really liked dogs that much, or any kind of pet at all to be fair, but patting him felt rather appropriate at that moment. "You know, for a dog, he seems quite clever." She muttered much later on, when patting became something that she actually liked to do, not just something that she felt like she was forced to. She watched as Emily gently bobbed her head in agreement, her eyes flickering between Emily's face and that silver thing hanging loosely from Zeus' collar; one that Emily had just caught with her fingers and started playing with. There was a beat of unbearable silence that Katie had to sit through and put up with, until she could hear shallow sniffles slowly filling the room as Emily continued to toy with the bone-shaped accessory. The imprinted letters glimmered under the fluorescent light and she could make out 'NEMO' in them. One glance at Emily and Katie was almost entirely sure that her twin would be back to crying in no time.

Emily could taste something at the back of her tongue, fast rising in her throat, and she was so close to throwing up, for known and unknown reasons.

"What really is his name?" Katie asked out of nowhere, rather, more like out of whim to steer the conversation away from anything related to Naomi. But then again, everything _might_ be related to Naomi now.

"I—" Emily started, her voice breaking, then, "I don't really know."

"Seriously, that dog's going to have, like, huge psychological issues." Katie said with a half smile, the words muttered in a tone so light, as light as Katie could come up with. The pads of her thumb were back to wiping the tears that had escaped from Emily's hold, erasing every stain they had managed to leave on Emily's cheeks. "Come on. Let's get you something to eat." She murmured, ever so softly, just enough to pierce through Emily's muffled sobs; and Katie's heart was beating so fast with worry because Emily looked so close to hyperventilating. "Okay?"

It was long seconds before Emily found her voice again, much to Katie's relief. "Yeah." She answered with a tight-lipped smile. "That sounds nice."

Katie's answering smile was a little less strained now, because somehow, despite everything that had happened, she couldn't help but feel quite relieved for Emily hadn't succumbed to total apathy, _yet_. "Downstairs then?"

Katie offered a hand. Emily took it with a tight squeeze, and clung to it like she was holding on for her dear life.

* * *

The days passed, to Naomi in a huge blur that she almost lost track; to Emily, every fucking second felt like years.

She had made a conscious effort to try and get back to her feet; to at least get back to what used to be _normal_ for her. But her own definition of normal had changed drastically in meaning, because most part of it involved Naomi. Emily knew then that a much bigger effort should be made if she wanted to at least get a grasp of some of her old life back, especially when she was surrounded by things that wouldn't make _anything_ easy.

At some point before, she had learned to hate the days that Naomi would not be home, in that short period of time she had spent with her.

But now, she was starting to try to unlearn it, because it was on those days that the tugging feeling hurt less, and she knew that she should at least be thankful.

* * *

Naomi on the other hand wasn't doing quite well.

It honestly felt like she was reliving her _dark days_. Back when she used to blame and hate herself for her father's death. The heavy silence, the unkempt room, the closed curtains, the locked door—they were all too familiar; scenes of a particular era that Emily had made her once forget.

She stood in front of the mirror, and she could make out her red, puffy eyes in the dim lighted room. She could see glimpses of her old self standing in front of the same mirror—defeated and all alone. She was halfway on surrendering; halfway to believing that she could never get this fixed when a messy scrawl caught her eye. There printed on her right cheek was Emily's name, almost fading. She drew two fingers up, and hovered them above the letters, letting the pads slide through her cheek as she figured out where it probably came from. She turned her head and saw Emily's note lying above the pillow where she previously had been.

It caught her by surprise, that there was a striking difference to what she went through before and what she was going through now; how she could feel a strong urge within her to fight, to not lose this time. A powerful desire instigated by a small note that had left its mark under her skin, almost permanently.

* * *

"You've been hiding."

Naomi, who was at first surprised upon seeing Thomas standing in her doorway, gave a tight smile in turn and nodded her head towards him. "As it would seem." She replied, a small shrug rolling off her shoulders.

Thomas considered it as an invitation and took his place on the empty chair by the study table, right across Naomi's bed. "For you by the way." He raised the box he was holding for Naomi to see and patted it twice. "Panda asked me to give this to you."

"What's that?" Naomi asked, cocking her head to point the light green box.

"I'm not really sure." He replied with a soft chuckle. "But there's a note, just in case you're wondering."

Naomi reached forward to take the box, letting it rest on her lap afterwards as she fiddled with the folded note stuck on the cover. "Donuts." She laughed softly upon reading. "Tell Panda I said thanks."

"Sure."

"And that, yes, I will be taking a shower." Naomi watched as creases formed on Thomas' forehead, keeping hush until he was staring at her in a way like she suddenly sprouted another head. "It's on the note." She waved the small piece of paper. "She's telling me not to forget to take a shower."

Thomas snorted out his laughter. "That's Panda all right."

"Yeah. I can really tell." Naomi answered in between soft laughs that matched Thomas' slightly louder ones.

"She _is_ worried about you though." Thomas said, beats after both their laughter had trickled down into heaved deep sighs and a comfortable silence. "How are you holding?" He asked, with a genuine kind of sincerity that Naomi had barely ever seen before. She and Thomas never really had something more than their business type of relationship, so his visit really came to her as a surprise. They had been through worse, she must admit, but then probably they both knew that this time, they were dealing with a situation far different from the others they had gone through.

"I don't really know." Naomi barely whispered, but her room was far too quiet for both of them _not_ to hear. It sounded so weak that she could hardly believe the words came from her; that she said them herself.

Thomas answered with a rather sympathetic nod. "I understand."

"It's just—" Naomi began, but was at a loss for words all at once. "I don't really know where to go from here." She ran her fingers through her hair, slowly; over and over until it felt soothing enough. "I'm all out."

Thomas studied her for a few beats, before asking. "Do you think you've hit the bottom?"

Naomi lifted her head up and threw him a quizzical look. "I'm sorry?"

A soft chuckle broke from Thomas' lips, and he repeated his question again, much to Naomi's bemusement. "Well. Do you?" He drawled out, and waited patiently until it seemed that Naomi had understood what he was trying to say.

There was a short moment of hesitation, before Naomi finally had the courage to admit things; had the courage to say that she might be losing a battle she had been trying so hard to win. "I'm afraid I have."

"Then—" Thomas replied with a rather warm smile, surprisingly. "There's really nowhere else to go but up, isn't it?"

"Is it?" Naomi answered, with a deep sigh and an apprehensive tone that Thomas could only associate with uncertainty. It was something that he could hardly recognize, for Naomi had constantly been the type of person who seemed like she was always so sure of herself. Naomi had always been that person who wore her confidence proudly on her sleeves.

"I don't think we're headed to anywhere else." Thomas said, with that same warm smile he was already giving. "Really."

"But I don't know what's waiting for me." She replied, in a cut up kind of way that pretty much echoed all her fears, that this was her career and her life, which probably was the bigger part at stake; and it genuinely felt like this was the first time she ever cared about what was going to happen next. "I don't know if I still have something—anything to go back to."

"You haven't stolen anything or killed anyone Naomi." Thomas stated matter-of-factly. "This kind of thing happens all the time, to almost anyone. Famous or not."

Naomi grimaced at Thomas' words, feeling a particular sting graze through her skin. "But this is different." She tried to reason out; to at least defend herself from what she thought was a groundless accusation. "It wasn't supposed to happen."

"I'm not saying you did anything on purpose." He shook his head animatedly, as if to clear whatever misunderstanding that was about to occur. "And I'm not saying that you do this all the time either." He brought his hands together and propped both his elbows against his bent knees. "My point is, what happened is not as bad compared to others. I've seen worse and believe me, those people? They were able to come back." He caught Naomi's eye and looked at her straight, with a rather defiant expression he had never failed to exude. "You will be too."

Naomi's lips quivered, with a little less insecurity this time. "How are we going to do this?"

"We'll figure something out." He replied, with a firm tone and eyes trained towards Naomi. "One step at a time, okay?" He didn't bat an eyelash until he had heard her speak.

"Yeah." Naomi, after a short moment of mooting, answered with a nod. "Thanks." She murmured and took his words as some sort of assurance that things would be fixed, eventually. He took his words and his smile, thinking that, they were better than not taking anything at all.

"I'll see you when you're ready, yes?" Thomas stood up and gave Naomi's knees a comforting squeeze. "I'll be in my office."


End file.
